It never ceases to amaze me that in the thick of our
daily trials and tribulations, there is always some horrific event that
shatters our world and communities. In the interim of trauma, suffering and
healing, how we approach and embrace life is forever changed.
What happened in Aurora, Colorado two nights ago during
the premier of “The Dark Knight Rises,” cannot be justified one iota! A 24-year-old
man went on a shooting rampage, declaring that he was the character “The Joker”
portrayed in the movie. There were innocent people bringing their families to
see a movie for goodness sakes and many who would never walk out of that
theater again.
I listened to some doctors on TV, who are giving the
shooter (and I am intentionally not mentioning his name) a label for his
behavior! What? I think this is a problem! When people do horrific and evil
things like this, they are “EVIL.” Yes, I do believe that some things we deal
with in life can make us snap and behave in an inappropriate, depressing or
dehumanizing manner at some point. However, sometimes I also feel that when
people are given labels describing certain patterns of their behavior, this
gives them the green light to act the way they do or to be as brutal and insulting
to others, all due to that “label” an expert gives to them.
Let us pray (and yes I did say PRAY) for God to grant
strength and peace to every victim, directly and indirectly targeted and
affected by this mass murderer. The bullets that sprayed from the assault
weapon this guy brought into the theater did not care whether the victim was a
Democrat or Republican, Christian or Agnostic, Anglo-Saxon or Biracial, rich or
poor, young or old.
It seems rather obvious, that the damage this assassin
inflicted on so many innocent lives was premeditated, because he also had his apartment
methodically booby-trapped to wipe out law enforcement and possibly other
residents in his apartment building. Evil will always be prevalent, but that
does not make it acceptable to shatter thousands of lives and livelihoods
regardless of where, when or why!
