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"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it." ~ Ayn Rand
I don't usually use such forums to post anything controversial or that might be based on my own political or religious beliefs. Always wanting to fly under the proverbial radar and not make my readers uncomfortable in any way, I tend to keep my opinions to myself -- at least here on the blog. But, upon reading Ayn Rand's quote and then seeing the news shows today, I feel compelled to do so. So, please either humor me or choose not to read this particular segment. If you choose to humor me, thank you. If you decide not to read this blog post, I respect your decision but I hope that you'll return tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that!
Yesterday, exactly two weeks after the tragic shooting in Arizona, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was transferred from the hospital in Arizona to a rehab center in Texas. A remarkable sign of progress to be sure. She will have a long, difficult road to recovery but I have no doubt her determination will get her though it. Our country also has a long, difficult road to healing ahead as well. Many lives have been impacted by the actions of one individual.
And yet, two weeks after the shooting that took the lives of several, including an innocent 9 year old girl - Christina Taylor Green - and threatened to take the lives of many more, there are still all sorts of commenataries on the talk and news shows about the role of rhetoric from certain politicians, activists and media outlets. "Do you think the media is responsible for the events?" I heard one commentator ask.
"NO!" I heard in my own mind. The "rhetoric" didn't go to that grocery store site or pull the trigger. It was one young man -- who, perhaps is very troubled, ill -- pulled the trigger. And in a matter of minutes, he changed the lives of many for a very long time to come.
As someone who believes that, all too often, some individuals will look for others to blame for their shortcomings - never taking responsibility for their actions - the constant references to "did the media have something to do in influencing the shooter?" are maddening to me! Why is it that looking for outside sources of blame has become more acceptable than expecting - no insisting on - personal responsibility for an individual's actions?
Many read, watched and/or listened to the "vitriol rhetoric" as it's been called. But only one chose to act in such an unspeakable way. We are not to be the judges in this case -- there is the legal system and a Higher Power by whatever name you call Him/Her who will do that for us. But, I feel the need to say that, in my mind, it is not the rhetoric that is responsible for that shooters actions... it is the fact that the shooter sanctioned that rhetoric and allowed evil to reign for a while on that fateful day on January 8, 2011.
I don't disagree, Lee. That young man has had his whole life to make choices and make decisions. He may very well be mentally unbalanced, in which case whatever he heard may have influenced him to choose violence. But it was his choice and it was he who pulled the trigger. He had the presence of mind to do a great deal of planning, however distorted his thinking might be. We may never know what caused him to act as he did.
ReplyDeleteI do think, though, that paying attention to what is being said--and how it is being said--is a worthy use of our efforts. Speech usually comes from conviction and attitude and it is there we may be able to effect change. Civility is markedly absent and anger/vitriol is way too prevalent. And, it's not just the politicians. This is an angry society, a disillusioned one. The last years have been tough on a lot of people.
Starting on an individual level going up through our leaders, it is voices of reason and hope we need to hear--of cooperation and humanity--of commonality and a united front. We can all help.