Do you think benevolence is more effective than punishment?


When hit by a fist or hammer, flour becomes hard, but the lump of flour becomes tender and mellow when it is well treated with warm water. While force leads people to avoid going over the boundary of law, being supportive can promote people’s quality of their thoughts. Therefore, admiration is necessary for this arid society to be of gentler disposition and these battered characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to be good-natured.

Punishment is what this community traditionally thought to be the best way to get people to obey the laws. However, we all know that punishment can provide hatred and more hatred. In Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, Hamlet desired the revenge of his father, who was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. Claudius not only killed his brother but also married Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet’s rage against Claudius was severe and he only dreamed about killing Claudius. Hamlet could not forgive his uncle, so he planned revenge. The sorrow from losing his father would be a hardship for Hamlet, but if he forgave his uncle and resolved their problem, the ending of the Hamlet could have been somewhat peaceful.

This vengeance made another vengeance more likely. Claudius noticed that Hamlet was planning retaliation, so he sought for way to kill Hamlet. At the end of this tragic drama, Hamlet, Claudius and Hamlet’s mother died or were killed. Hamlet’s desire to punish Claudius led him to die prematurely and brought tragic results to him. To some, punishment might still be necessary to keep control over people, but it doesn’t help to provide enlightening or self-examining ways for people who are battered by more seasonable application of law. In contrast, a short praiseful comment can make one’s mood blissful for all day long.

According to the results of recent experimentation, a plant which is exposed to laudatory speech every day grows up faster than that which hears resentful speech and none. People need to be praised in order to help their souls grow in terms of quality. Jesus has forgiven all of us and it is time for us to forgive our neighbors.