Eight-year-old murder victim Martin Richard
Yesterday it happened yet again. Evil emerged from the shadows to kill, maim and strike fear into innocent, unsuspecting civilians.
As the source of the evil emerges from the gray dust, more truths will became self-evident. Another nihilistic psychopath with an atrocious history has unleashed his hatred and fury upon mankind. The only thing separating the Marathon bomber from Osama bin Laden or from Polly’s killer is scale. As he lurks in the darkness, he justifies murder and mayhem through twisted reasoning just as bin Laden deftly wielded his considerable powers to convince young men to die in his stead, just as Polly’s killer lurked in shadows waiting for opportune moments to convince little girls that he meant them no harm.
Perhaps an unknown slight inspired the hatred that scarred the finish line in Boston and caused so much death and destruction, just as the mad Arab used religion and inequality to excuse and justify murder, just as Polly’s killer used drugs and alcohol. One thing is certain; they all commit heinous crimes for instant self-gratification, without consideration for the consequences of their actions. Like all psychopaths, they lack conscience and consideration—therefore they have no empathy for the children they murder with impunity.
It is inevitable that given the chance, such men will strike again. They cannot be successfully treated or cured; therefore they cannot be trusted in negotiation or surrender. Hatred finds its own depth when children become viable options for death. The twisted logic of the psychopath predictably asserts his cowardice through his declaration to destroy the future rather than attempting to convert it.
We shake our heads in dismay as we battle this moral depravity by holding our children closer, loving them more, reassuring them constantly, and demonstrating strength and courage through example.
Through this act, society redefines not only its role models, but its heroes as well. Overpaid actors and athletes are replaced by men and women in working class uniforms and stay-at-home moms. When we collectively muster the courage to stare the devil in the eye, we challenge rather than yield to his adversity. Yet our anxieties are not easily alleviated, for the lessons of the Boston Marathon or World Trade Center are stark and vivid: Even the most celebrated sporting event or formidable edifice can be reduced to gray dust in less than a minute.
Terrorism comes in many guises and is predictable only in its depravity. Whether it is the baby killer or the holy warrior, the end result—an unyielding march toward destruction—must be acknowledged and addressed or we become indentured to violence and slaves of fear.
Memorial services will continue to correctly honor the victims of the Marathon massacre as a nation’s gratitude will honor its heroes. Right now a million candles, lit in homage, create beacons of light in the darkness. If we fail to eradicate evil, the candles will flicker out and we will be enveloped in darkness forever more.
They were not heroes, those who were injured or killed. They were people. They were the guy down the street or the kid next door, They were the woman you yelled at in the parking lot, because her shopping cart hit your car. They were the little girl who wanted to be a ballerina, but will now need a crutch for the rest of her life. They were your friends and your enemies and those you would never know. But underlying it all, they were just like you. Good and evil are philosophical terms. What some perceive as evil is the disregard for another, whether his property, his love or his live. A herd of cattle brought to slaughter may look upon those who kill them as evil. The butcher may look upon the cattle as unimportant other than for what they represent in terms of leather or food. Within only a short span of time, there has been a mass killing in a darkened movie theatre, in a school and now on a crowded street. Each one has been different, affecting a different part of our fear. Next must come some restaurant and then, perhaps, a bus. We have become too complacent. We have thought America safe. No longer is there the threat of communism. We no longer think of atom bombs as something potentially real. We no longer build bomb shelters. And most of us no longer participate in war. We view our government and its politicians with dismay and distrust. But leaders can only lead those who want to be protected, and we no longer feel the need. Plant a chip in each of us. Know our every move. It is for our protection. It is for our survival. That is what they will tell us. Murder 20 children and 8 adults and place a gun in the hand of one of the victims, so that there is a face and a name; so that we feel protected and safe that that one threat is gone. But take away our safe places, one by one. Take away our theaters, our schools, our churches and temples, even our city streets, so that there is nowhere we feel safe. Show us one murdered child and tell us that this is only one of many that could be. Strike at the heart of mankind and you drop him to his knees. The ones injured and killed in Boston, they are a part of each of us, and their blood is greedily lapped by those in charge, who cry havoc and mayhem. And we listen and we watch and we believe. Help us Obama, who art in Washington and I will fear no evil. Thy law and thy order, they comfort me. Protect me and guard me, and I will have everlasting faith. Amen.
The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, ks has already announced plans to picket the funerals of the victims of the bombing. Are there any countermeasures in place? If not, how can we get some? I’m so sorry for the loss of your precious Polly. I’m amazed at how you’ve managed to create such a miracle out of your horrible tragedy. God bless you.
So very true, Marc. Both could easily be classified as pleasure killers.