Of Death, Dramas, and Doctrine

I've been watching this drama recently. Literally, the title translates to "Time of Dog and Wolf", which is a reference to a French proverb that I can't currently track down. It's supposed to be something to do with the ambiguity of the twilight and not knowing if the thing coming toward you is your friend the dog or a wolf that's going to eat you. But whatever. The thing is, it's been making me think. The plot isn't too terribly original, though the drama is good. It's a spy/revenge thriller, with a love triangle (of course) between the two adopted brothers and the childhood friend of the one brother who's orphaned and adopted by the other brother's family. (Hence why they're brothers.) What really got me thinking, however, is the whole theme of death and revenge.

 Lee Jun-ki as Lee Soo-hyun, Nam Sang-mi as Seo Ji-woo, and Jung Kyung-ho as Kang Min-ki

I know it's just a story, but I know that somewhere, someone -- a real someone -- is probably experiencing some kind of similar feelings. Their father, or mother, or sister, or maybe their entire family was killed for some senseless reason, and now they want revenge, thinking that it will make them feel better, or that it will somehow set things right.

The thing is, that never works. The desire for revenge inevitably does more damage to the one who harbors it than its intended target. It's like a corrosive acid that destroys people's lives from the inside out. Hate is like that. I think God commands us to love our neighbors not because He needs us to, but because that's the only way to live a sane life. Forgiveness is the only way we can truly live happy lives. But forgiving can be heart-wrenchingly difficult, especially for the innocent who have lots families, loved ones, or been brutally used by wicked people. True forgiveness takes a lot of faith in God, that He will set everything right in the end, faith that there's something more worthwhile than making that person pay in this life, faith that there is a next life in which everything will be made right. The same goes for the deaths of loved ones. Death can seem so senseless, and it can bring with it great and terrible despair when you don't have the context of Heavenly Father's plan for His children to give you perspective.

It's times like these that I am so grateful for the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the knowledge that this life is not the end, that we can be together as families forever, for the knowledge that it will all turn out well in the end. I am so grateful to know that the Lord knows us and our suffering, and though He won't always take it away -- that would ultimately keep us from progressing and being able to become more like Him -- He will help us through it.