One thing I like about myself is that I am willing -- hair-trigger prone to become eager even -- to self-destruct to take down someone I consider unacceptably bad.
You threaten me with a knife or gun? You break into my house with a handful of friends? You abuse a position of power or the legal system to blackmail me or shield yourself? There is a good chance I'll decide I'm fine risking everything if it gains setting you back, causing you to fail, and if you're bad enough in my eyes in that moment, a chance at killing or crippling you.
Bad people deserve to fail, need to fail. My whole personality, the way I think and feel, is kinda weaponized to make sure that they do, especially if the cost is one most people are unwilling to pay. I think sometimes undercutting bad people is far more important as a viscerally felt motivating value than helping good people flourish.
Over the years I've worked hard to put a well-calibrated leash on that aspect of myself, to not use it recklessly or needlessly. But I still have it, and I like that it's there.







