Normally, we'll think of hatred or cruelty, things along those lines, as things that should not be inflicted on a person. And yeah, it's not like any of those are a picnic or anything. But you see, in the least, if you're torturing me because you truly, deeply, love and are fulfilled by the pain of others... okay, so you're sick, but at least you're not heartless. You care, only in the wrong way.

Likewise, if I'm on the rack because your pure, unadulterated, implacable, bottomless hatred for me demands that it must be so... well, first of all, truly, I will absolutely do my damndest not to piss you off so bad again in the future. But secondly, again, my pain and suffering is not something that is immaterial to the one who inflicts it -- on the contrary, it would actually seem that their hatred for me eats at them as certainly as the sulfuric acid eats at my digits. (Nice imagery, yes?)

So while being the recipient of either of those would obviously and truly suck -- in the least, one's suffering then comes as the cost of another's contentedness. The monsters who devour us do so at least for their own hunger, rather than our simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But indifference. Now, that's the one that's truly horrific, in my humble opinion. If indeed, someone's goin medieval on me, not because I've wrong them or because they're a truly twisted individual who has to do so... but rather, just because I was there, and they had nothing better to do.

Now, for ease of making a point, I've been talking about physical pain. But this applies just as certainly (if not moreso) to emotional or spiritual suffering. 'Cause really, for any of us who've had our hearts really, horribly ripped from our chests and trampled upon -- how many physical tortures might you elect to have, in place of experiencing that again?

Unfortunately, inflicting that kind of damage on others is neither as clearly obvious nor as thankfully punishable by law. You cannot physically jab a pencil in my neck. You can, however, completely fuck my mind in the most horrible way, and happily go about your merry way with not a thought of reparation.

And again -- if someone's going to do that, let us hope in the least that they're doing so for a true, livid hatred of their target, or simply for their own hedonistic enjoyment (you know, if they could torture you with your permission, that would be just as fine for them), then in the least we may say this pain comes not without reason. But if you're thrown into the deepest pits of teeth-gnashing and garmet-rending simply because someone else couldn't be bothered to not nudge you in that direction?