This time, it was a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
Yesterday, I watched the Colorado governor speak from the podium twice, and he stumbled for words both times. I welled up watching him, because I was right with him. Speechless and rambley at the same time.
After two days of news from Aurora, our TV is now tuned to some pre-Olympics stuff. Not because we don't care anymore, but because the heart is raw. And, although it seems somehow disrespectful, life does go on.
For the coming months, the questions will be pressing: who is James Holmes? Why did he want to kill innocent people? Is he insane? What are his parents like? What kind of upbringing did he have? Why did he want to kill innocent people? Did he really think he was the Joker? Who are his friends? Did anyone see this coming? Why did he want to kill innocent people? Was he on drugs? Could this have been prevented? Why did he want to kill innocent people?
Like after Columbine and other public square shootings, we're left with nothing but heartache and questions. We've witnessed the worst of mankind, and we must understand it. We must place these events in an explainable, categorized box, so we can regain some sense of control. If we can just understand the why behind these tragedies, surely we can prevent them.
So, we start again. Witnesses from the theater, injured and uninjured, will share their experiences. The medical teams will retrieve evidence from torn flesh. Law enforcement officials will interrogate. Therapists and analysts will probe and document. The Holmes family will be scrutinized.
In the end, we will gain more facts and knowledge, but not necessarily more understanding. No matter the factors (and there might be many) that led James Holmes to kill, we will not accept them as valid. In a civilized society, no level of hatred or disorder will validate gunning down unsuspecting families in a movie theater. On the day an action such as this becomes understandable, we will, as a nation, have lost our soul.
So, even without complete answers, we will do what Americans do best. We will pray for and support the Aurora community. We will share in mourning the loss of the twelve. We will send cards and money to the victims and their families. We will root for the injured when they begin their physical therapy. We will follow their stories and read the books some will write about their horrific ordeal.
We will follow the trial of James Holmes and pray that justice will be served.
We will try to forgive. Because, the root intention of a human heart is transparent only to God.
We will move forward. Because, life does go on.
18 comments:
I think you summed it up so well; we will move on because life does go on. We'll do what we can, even if it is just a prayer. We'll hug our own a little tighter and tell them we love them when they leave the house. There will always be situations like this because of the world we live in; but we have hope that one day Jesus will restore it all and we cling to that, because what else do we have but him?
betty
This was a very beautifully written and true post, God Bless you for pointing out the obvious but sadly the facts that so many will continue to stay focused on the "we need answers now" which only our Lord knows.
Very well written. I've teared up over and over thinking about the victims and their families.
This was a beautiful post. and you are right...only the Lord knows. James Holmes will have to answer to what he's done. All we can do is pray.
Yes hearing that news took the wind out of me as well as the thought "on the day an action such as this becomes understandable"... This a great post to reflect on.
You know I don't know if there is an answer - other then there is certainly evil in this word. sandie
Beautiful post. For as much as the brain tries to grasp this or make sense of it all, the only thing we can do is leave it to God.
I feel for the family of James Holmes as their life will never been the same they will forever be known by what he did and it won't matter if they are good people or not many people will consider them just as evil. They are often not thought of as victims but in some ways they are just that victims of his.......
a very thoughtful heartfelt post<3
thank you for this post! you said my thoughts that I haven't placed on to paper/computer yet. Something has got to be done at the family/foundational level to get this type of horror to stop. So sad. So sad.
also ...thank you for your thoughts at my post today!
This is a beautifully written post. I appreciate how you've put words together in such a beautiful way.
www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
Very moving collection of thoughts, put in words to sum up the feelings of many all over the world. Situations like this scare me and enrage me at the same time. These innocent people were so vulnerable. It is indeed frightening how someone could do such a thing.
As you said, we'll soon learn more about the person responsible, and this will open up a whole other set of questions, I'm sure.
Thanks for such a great post!
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. This is a terrible and senseless tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with those involved.
I think you said it well for all of us. My heart breaks for all of the victims and their families. I also feel for Holmes's family, because as you said, they are going to under the microscope in the coming weeks. Every move they've made as parents will be nitpicked to death. Plus, I can't imagine the heartache and horror of having your child do something like that. In a sense, they've lost their son, too.
Well said. Some things are beyond human understanding. I believe most people are essentially good, and that evil, therefore, will remain one of those things most of us will never understand.
When I was watching his very unusual expressions in the courtroom, I just couldn't imagine what was going on in that head because he looked so disoriented and out of it. Life does go on, but not for everyone and that's what hurts about this senselessness.
Dear Mare,
This is so very sad, a terrible tragedy. I think you've written a good post about it.
Another blog I follow posted a couple of links to a lady who was there at the movie theatre at the time. She has written and shared her story. Her love for ALL people and GOD is to be greatly admired.
Here are the links, if you'd like to pop over and visit her blog at WordPress.
http://aminiatureclaypot.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/so-you-still-think-god-is-a-merciful-god/
http://aminiatureclaypot.wordpress.com/
I hope you've had a good week so far. Take care. God bless.
Love and care, Kerrie xoxo
Well said!
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