...About Being Stunned

Like everyone in America, I am stunned by the tragedy in Newtown, CT. I have been trying to determine what I want to say, but there are no great words of wisdom. There is nothing to say that will comfort anyone. All of us feels a sense of anger; a sense of outrage; a deep sense of sadness; and a sense of confusion. We all ask, "how can such an horrific act happen?" And, of course, there is no answer. 

All of the questions we ask in this terrible moment are rhetorical. "How can this happen?"  "What would make someone do something so sick?"  "Why would someone so gruesomely attack innocent people?" And likely the most unanswerable - "What can be done to stop this?" 

We've all seen the news coverage. We've been reminded again and again about the recent mall shootings, the Colorado movie theater shootings, the shootings at places of worship, the massacre at Virginia Tech, and Columbine. And every time, we ask those same rhetorical questions. And, sadly, there truly seem to be no answers. 

The first thing we hear everyone say is that we need to outlaw guns. Of course we know that is not the single answer. I know it's considered overused, but I have to say I agree: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."  Would it make a difference if guns were outlawed? Probably not, if the person plotting to kill people is serious. Some here and there might be deterred, but not the true monsters. I would venture an uneducated guess that Newtown, Va Tech, Colorado, and Columbine would not have been avoided. Something as large as these examples, and many others, doesn't happen on a whim because someone happened to see a gun sitting on the table. But I am not trying to exhibit support for one group or another either. Imagine the OK Corral shootouts that might occur if everyone had guns. 

I have heard opinions for quite a long time promoting that video games have desensitized  people to a point of no return. There have been opinions that many of the young Soldiers currently serving our country are able to do their job so robotically because they have lost the sensitivity to death. The proponents of that argument believe the intense killing and life-like graphics in today's video games makes it less horrific to someone to take a life. I don't know. I know many guys who have played the hard-hitting video games and they show no sense of lessened remorse toward death. Maybe that is also a grasping at straws. 

It certainly seems that there is little or no real ability to "read" someone as a potential killer. It would be great if there was some highly-visible sign - like maybe some bright facial rash - when a person was about to commit such an unspeakable act. But there is no sign. Think about how many times we see the news interview with the neighbor who tells that there was nothing out of the ordinary about the killer. "I've lived next door to him for 5 years. He's never been anything but a good, quiet neighbor."  What are the signs? What do we look for? I wish someone could give us real, tangible signs to look for. But there seem to be none. 

So what do we do? I wish I had some answer. We all wish we had some answer. For now, I suppose we can only do what everyone seems to feel at times such as these: Hug those close to you a little tighter; a little longer. Pray to God for guidance and protection. Never miss the opportunity to say "I Love You."  I know I will be saying it more. 

And, as horrible as this will make me sound, maybe we can hope that these terrible monsters, these cowards who attack innocent, unarmed people and then kill themselves, will cut to the chase. Before they go out and find innocent people to murder, just turn to the last page and kill themselves first.  

With the grip something like this places on the heart, today I do not digress. 


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