I can not help but think of the young man who has life in prison for being one of the Washington, D.C. snipers. Along with an adult male who was executed in 2009, Lee Boyd Malvo managed to kill and maim people on a killing spree in the Washington, D.C, Virginia, and Maryland area in 2002.
Unlike the hand wringing that is going on to try to explain how a man from a wealthy town in Connecticut could cause such carnage, I don't recall the hand wringing related to Malvo. However, their stories are not that different in the beginning and in the end. I know we are not supposed to blame the parents and one should not if the maniacs are adults, but there was a failure to parent in both situations.
Both young men turned to violence and darkness.
When we wring out hands we may forget that regardless of the mental state, no one has the right to take the life of another. They may live in video games, but I don't.
Hitler was maniacal. Look what he did. Wring your hands and get answers. I am tired of living in the Dark Ages.
We were created for good. Jesus said God is good.
If we go about blaming Him instead of free will, we miss the point of life. I know that God sees the bigger picture. My trust is in Him. He has trusted us with life. He sees the bigger picture and gives pieces of the puzzle. People choose what they want to do with that puzzle piece. They can use it for good, for death or bury it.
What would you do? Is the abnormal so acceptable now that we have grown accustomed to massacres in America? The German got accustomed to people being taken away on trains because they allowed a madman to rule.
Man has the propensity towards evil. It must be fought at every step.
Jesus has the game plan. Parents should be very aware when the children are going into very dark places. When they emerge into the sunlight, they just may use their gifts for evil. Death be not proud. Intelligence is a gift that needs to be nurtured. Nurture it well.
Einstein helped create the atom bomb. The Unabomber killed. Holmes from Aurora, Colorado- genius- used his gifts for a well planned massacre. Some of his plans did not materialize although could have without a moment of sanity appearing. Adam Lanza the new name on the massacre list is also considered a genius.
Wolves need to be fed with good food to make them friendly.
I don't care how mentally ill someone is or how troubled. They do not have any right to kill or hurt another. Our schools and parents better start feeding the young wolves with soul food.
The Good Shepherd protected the sheep of the flock. That is what good shepherds do, they protect their flock. Sometimes they lay down their lives. That does not have to mean death. It just may mean recognizing the needs of the little wolves in one's care. It may mean recognizing the puzzle piece that would prevent a tragedy instead of needing to call in rescue and recovery.
We tend to romanticize these shootings with the prayer services, warm fuzzy feelings..but the anger stage hasn't set in yet for the families. The media doesn't show that until another massacre occurs and the victims from the last one are called in for an interview.
Marian R. Carlino
December 21, 2012
