My heart goes out to the wounded, the families, the bystanders, the doctors and nurses and ambulance crews and all those who have had to see firsthand what was deliberately done by a human being to other human beings.
My hometown paper had this to say.
It doesn’t matter what party the shooter belonged to. It is the simple truth that the unbalanced among us had been told what to do to get the most attention and to believe they would be praised for it.
The words we choose to represent ourselves by have consequences beyond what we can know or control, and that is especially true in the political sphere. Choosing to have basic common courtesy: is it so hard? It is so essential.
And yet. However one feels about how this all came to be, there is another truth: that we are all in pain, all grieving over the senselessness and the pain and the injury done to individuals and, really, to all of us.
And that speaks to the empathy and the great good in the very great majority of us. We may not personally know any of the people at that scene, but they matter to us as if they were us.
We are all in this life thing together.
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Beautifully stated, my friend. I was a child when President Kennedy was shot. I was a young mother when President Reagan was shot. I wept for both of them. The current state of American politics is frustrating (though still better than most or all other countries). I am not aware of any political party which truly represents what I believe. I wish that more people, of all faiths, who hold themselves to the high standards which are required of those who attend the (LDS) temple, would quietly and civilly and decently run for office. I dislike the liberal press and the conservative talk show hosts almost equally. The way to effect change in government is through the ballot box, through thoughtful letters written to our elected representatives, and through prayer. Can you imagine the good which would happen in our country if we all prayed for one another? Consistently? [Yes, you, being Alison, probably can!]
Comment by Lynn 01.09.11 @ 5:56 amYes, well said! Down through the centuries there have been those who “have had all the answers”. Problem is, they were the wrong answers, from humanities point of view.
Comment by Don Meyer 01.09.11 @ 8:29 amSo true. You can’t blame any group for one individual’s delusion. It is sad that it went this far that he had to hurt others.
Comment by Carol 01.09.11 @ 8:50 amMy heart hurts for all those involved, including the shooter. What pain he must have been in, to believe that this is a way to either get attention, or to ease that pain. I hurt for those killed and their families. I hurt for those wounded, and all those who witnessed this tragedy.
What would the world be like if we all acted as if every action we took mattered deeply to someone else? I wonder…
Comment by Pegi 01.09.11 @ 9:11 amIt is a balm to read your words, Alison.
The policy – the official policy, not just the culture – where I work is to stop each other if our passion to succeed leads to violent phrases such as “let’s kill the competition”. And we do it. It doesn’t make us any less competitive, but it reminds us that civility is important even behind closed doors. I wish that were the policy in our political parties; we can all make it our own personal policy.
Comment by twinsetellen 01.09.11 @ 9:44 amI can’t believe what I read in the papers. With all the violence in the rhetoric, I could only think this was a matter of “when.” I hope the preachers of hate on certain so-called “media” stations and those on flimsy political platforms (you know who you are SarahP) will be thoroughly discredited now.
Comment by LynnM 01.09.11 @ 10:03 amWe can no longer keep saying “your end of the boat is sinking.”
Comment by sherry in Idaho 01.09.11 @ 11:03 amA friend posts occasionally what she calls “Cap’n Mal’s Wisdom” on Facebook. Today’s post:
“Nothin’ worse than a monster who thinks he’s right with God. â€
There are several things I believe we must learn from this. Both sides must LISTEN to each other. We must prayerfully ask God to let us see each other truly. We MUST communicate openly, and STOP demonizing each other. Without that, we cannot survive. As long as we are in an “us vs. them” mentality, we cannot work together.
Comment by Mary H 01.09.11 @ 9:51 pmI so want a return to civil discourse; agreeing to disagree; compromise — it isn’t a dirty word; refusing to engage with someone who is clearly trying to pick a fight. I’d also like a return to an informed and involved citizenry. The more we know about the process, and the more we engage in the process, the less disenfranchised we are, and — perhaps — we can take back our diminished rights. We have to be responsible to do so.
Comment by Patricia Day 01.10.11 @ 8:16 amI love this post and the comments that follow. Though this is not happening in my country, I still feel the sadness of the situation.
I add my prayers to all of yours!
Comment by Suzanne in Montreal 01.11.11 @ 6:53 amLeave a comment
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