gods of Vengeance: The Second Attempted Murder of Trump

The Threat to Civilized Society Lies in the Bloodlust of Reactionaries

by David Masters - In a world that claims to strive for civility and progress, we are witnessing an alarming resurgence of ancient barbarism: the blood-lust of hate-based reactionaries. What makes this even more dangerous is that it is being dressed up in the language of justice and righteousness. The attempted political and character assassination of former President Donald Trump—twice now—is an unprecedented attack not just on a man, but on the very fabric of civilized society.

The most recent wave of legal, political, and cultural assaults against Trump represents something far deeper than mere disagreement with his policies or personality. It is the manifestation of a primitive desire for vengeance—an ancient drive that civilized people, through reason and moral enlightenment, have learned to suppress.

The Triumph of Forgiveness Over Vengeance

The difference between a civilized society and a savage one can be boiled down to how we handle conflict. Civilized people seek resolution through the law, reason, and dialogue. They recognize that while justice must be served, there is a limit to how much emotion should influence the course of action. This is where forgiveness becomes a cornerstone of enlightened culture—whether rooted in religious teaching or secular philosophy.

In contrast, a savage society is driven by the immediacy of emotion: hate, vengeance, and the desire to destroy. It does not seek fairness or reconciliation but domination. The law becomes a weapon, not a shield of justice. In history, civilizations have collapsed when the principles of forgiveness and restraint were abandoned in favor of brutal retaliation.

In the case of Donald Trump, we are seeing a new kind of tribalism. His enemies are not content with his defeat at the polls or in the political arena. They want total destruction—reputational, legal, and personal. It’s not enough that he lost an election; they want to ensure he is unable to exist as a public figure, even potentially as a private citizen. This is a manifestation of the primitive spirit of vengeance, the same spirit that animated the blood feuds of ancient times.

The Role of Enlightened Reason

The philosophical basis of Western civilization is reason, tempered by moral clarity. These two forces combined have given us systems of justice, human rights, and the freedoms we cherish. It is this balance of reason and moral restraint that prevents us from descending into the chaos of vendettas and revenge killings.

However, we are witnessing a disturbing collapse of this restraint. Emotional reactionaries have overtaken reasoned debate, replacing civil discourse with raw hatred. Trump’s detractors, unwilling to accept even the basic principles of fair play or forgiveness, are allowing their bloodlust to override any sense of proportionality or justice.

To the enlightened, forgiveness is not just a religious ideal; it is a functional necessity for the survival of society. Without forgiveness, without the willingness to move on from the heat of the moment, cultures implode under the weight of endless cycles of revenge and retaliation. Forgiveness, in fact, is a key marker of an evolved society that seeks a better future, rather than one obsessed with retribution for past grievances.

Risk of Civilizational Collapse

The danger of yielding to this savage desire for vengeance is not limited to Donald Trump or his supporters. It risks unraveling the very fabric of society. When the rule of law is weaponized for personal or political vendettas, when hatred becomes the driving force of our public discourse, we lose the social glue that holds civilization together.

Civilized culture relies on a balance of justice and mercy. Law must be applied fairly, and mercy must always temper justice. When these principles are abandoned in favor of naked aggression, we risk slipping into a cultural freefall, where power and emotion are the only currencies that matter.

The continual targeting of Trump reflects this erosion of societal principles. What began as political opposition has now metastasized into an obsession with personal annihilation, seeking not just to defeat Trump politically but to utterly erase him and everything he stands for. This is the logic of vengeance, not justice. And it is dangerous.

A Call to Higher Ground

The religious and the enlightened must never yield to the tactics of savagery. To do so would be to abandon the very principles that distinguish us from those ruled by hate and emotion. We must, instead, return to the higher path—one where reason prevails, forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, and justice is tempered with mercy.

If we allow the tactics of the bloodthirsty to rule, we risk the implosion of all civilized culture. We risk descending into a world where political conflicts are settled not by law or debate, but by personal destruction and revenge. Trump is the most visible target today, but tomorrow it could be anyone—any individual, any group that falls out of favor with those who wield power in a vengeful age.

The second attempted murder of Trump is not just about a man or his legacy. It is a test of whether our society will choose reason over emotion, justice over vengeance, and forgiveness over destruction. If we fail this test, we will find ourselves not in the enlightened society we claim to strive for, but in the ruins of a culture undone by its own thirst for blood.

Now more than ever, we must stand firm in our commitment to reason, forgiveness, and true justice. Only then can we preserve the civilization that countless generations before us worked so hard to build.