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Madoff pays for his mistakes and vengeance takes its due.
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Presence ©2009 by JRobin Whitley
Madoff has brought the term Ponzi scheme into the forefront of our news. The term was coined in 1910 after Charles Ponzi and in the simplest terms, it's a scam where people are promised a high rate of return on investments that can never happen. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Today's NY Times tells us that Madoff got the ultimate sentence of 150 years.
Madoff spoke weak words of apology to people who lost their incomes, investments and homes with many now needing food stamps to get food. Madoff's response, "I'm sorry I know that doesn't help you." Madoff thought he would not get caught and only time will tell if he even considered the effect his actions and misdeeds would have on the people who trusted him for at least 20 years. His attorney, Ira Lee Sorkin states in response to the sentencing, "[Madoff is a]deeply flawed individual, but a human being nonetheless. Vengeance is not the goal of punishment.”
Vengeance is a natural human reaction to loss and pain. A dictionary understanding of vengeance reads, "n. Infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution." In that sense, vengeance is the goal of punishment. The sad part is that vengeance resolves little and is more often associated with violent, aggressive acts of punishment. In some countries, vengeance would mean loss of a hand for stealing, or perhaps even a death sentence. Madoff is sentenced 150 years in prison but he is still physically intact, but the fact that he had no friends or family write letters on his behalf shows that this man's life had wrought a punishment of its own. One of the victims stated, “He can’t hurt us anymore.”
What is often overlooked when we seek vengeance (no matter how rightful or just it may seem), vengeance exacts a price from all involved. The idioms that match "vengeance" are; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, like for like, measure for measure. What cannot be seen by those who have been victimized is that sometimes, the eye for an eye, only means more blindness for the victim. Madoff cannot give these people their savings back, cannot restore their hopes and dreams. The people who were victimized by Madoff are at a new starting point on this day, they can choose to move on in hopefulness or hold onto anger, regret and vengeance. The path of hope and forgiveness is a much harder path even though many may see Madoff as getting the sentence he deserved. That sentence still does not pay the bills, put food on the table or a roof overhead. In times like this, it is often easier for the victims to focus more on anger and vengeance. They want to make him pay in ways stronger than losing his life to a jail cell. While Madoff goes to prison today, he still has the power to hurt his victims but it is up to each individual to make a choice to let go. Justice is served, time to move on with my life. Yes, the victims made mistakes in trusting Madoff, but now he will be imprisoned by a cell with bars, no freedoms, no family or friends. What more punishment could happen?
Madoff now has to pay with his life for the wrongs committed over the past twenty years. That's not an easy sentence, but neither is a life lost to vengeance. Letting go of the wrongs committed by Madoff, or anyone else who has scammed, abused, used another is not a task that is as simple as saying, "I forgive." Even Jesus in talking about forgiveness shows that forgiveness (as opposed to vengeance) is so hard that you will have to do it 70 x 7 or 490 times at the very least. Forgiveness doesn't come easy for humans and for others to imply that forgiveness is as simple as "I forgive you" is an indication that perhaps the speaker has more to learn about life and humanity. In our human choices we are always caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock is our firm believe that God is with us even in the hard times, hard places that confront us every day in life. Madoff will pay for his mistakes, the victims are set free to live without fear, but only in learning to forgive and move on to the new life.Forgiveness every time Madoff's name happens, ever time that life is hard to work on forgiveness. Theologian Frederick Buechner said, "At its core, forgiveness is an act of radical self-interest." So many times people are afraid that forgiveness is letting a person off the hook for a misdeed. What Buechner shows us can only make sense when we understand the harm that a continued focus on vengeance can inflict not only on our souls, but our family relationships, work environments and bodily health. Vengeance can kill slowly but surely. The self-interest comes in when the victim realizes that the best thing to do is to let go of the hurt and embrace life again. The initial wrong is caused by a thief like Madoff, a family member who misspeaks, a friend who doesn't understand, but the result is the same, vengeance takes its due and it's often from you.
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
Mohandas Gandhi
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