I’ve made a promise that I’m about to break. I suppose, in all honesty, the promise was doomed from the start. As is the true nature with most promises, there are times when the good intentions of the promise must be circumvented. I know, in my past, I have broken more than one promise, but not because of misplaced intention, but rather because it was simply necessary. I find myself, on this grim day, once again faced with the need to overstep my own set bounds. The promise I speak of is the one contained on my index page, which states, “you will not find the woes of life here, this is where I seek the lighter side of life.” Or something to that effect. Normally, this is what I do. But, as circumstances will have it, there are serious issues that plague my mind this cool November day and I feel compelled to allow such thoughts to spill from mind to fingertip and make their way to my computer screen.
Yesterday in Honolulu Hawaii a disgruntled ex-employee of Xerox entered a business meeting armed with a rifle and shot and killed seven of his former co-workers. CNN, Kiro and King TV all report that the man was apprehended peacefully after a several hour standoff and is now in custody. Although I missed this news as it was happening yesterday, I have not been so fortunate today. As I write this entry, another shooter, still at large, is being sought by police in the shooting and killing of two people and the injuring of another two people at a shipyard in Seattle, Washington. These two back-to-back incidences remind me of the volatile and angry world in which we live.
In the past 24 hours, nine people have lost their lives to deranged gunmen. One is struggling to hold onto life and yet another is grappling with a near-death experience and is the sole conscious witness to a horrific act. President Clinton has proclaimed his shock and sadness about the events. He has passed his prayers on to the victims and families of the victims. He has spoken for the American nation, once again, by expressing his disdain and proclaiming his vengeance towards the perpetrators of these crimes. I applaud Mr. Clinton’s resolve to extinguish these acts of violence once and for all. Yet I puzzle at how he plans to arrange it. Memories of Colorado slip into my mind. I once again, in my mind’s ear, hear Mr. Clinton promising the nation that he will do everything in his power to stop these massacres. And, although his intentions are good, I know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Action. This is what we need. But what action can be taken to halt such acts? I’m sure this question bewilders even the staunchest of sociologists and psychologists around the world. How can a nation take responsibility for the random acts of a few dysfunctional individuals? How can our safety and security be assured? What is it that twists a mind so out of synch that it resorts to such heinous crimes? And where does the responsibility lie? Is it the man? Is it his upbringing? Is it the constraints of an oppressive society? Is it a chemical malfunction? And what can we, the innocent bystanders and victims, do to assist the cause?
I wish I had the answers. I wish anyone had the answers. Our world, here in North America, is generally a good world. We are a consortium of peaceful nations, are we not? We value peace, brotherhood, goodwill towards man, do we not? We promote solidarity and righteous law, do we not?
Of course we do. As nations, we most certainly do. From the perspective of a unified people, we value and uphold the norms that identify a culture we are proud to be members of. But what about the way we live our lives? Our independent, quiet little lives? United we stand….do we do this in day to day life? Do we link arms with our loved ones and stand stoically against the angst of life? Do we support peace in our families? Brotherhood with our siblings? Goodwill towards our parents? Do we maintain solidarity in the face of tumultuous relationships? Do we abide by the same laws of the country within the micro-world of our lives?
As a nation, we stand up to intrusion and guard our rights as ferociously as caged lions. We are a force to be reckoned with. We tolerate threat to our countries with the patience of gnats. But what of the threats that weave into our family lives, or our work lives? Do we mount a fearless front against these onslaughts? Do we have the same ferocity when it comes to protecting against invasion behind the doors of our homes?
I am so deeply saddened, and frightened, by what I see on the news. I am ashamed that our society has such loopholes that allow these acts to occur. I can do my part. I can protect what is dear to me. I can live within my tiny world and make sure that I, and my loved ones, are taken care of. I can ensure peace on my own doorstep. Beyond that, I have no control.
Maybe, if each of us were to protect ourselves, and the ones we cherish, as fiercely as our nations protect the integrity of the constitutions, the ripple effect would guard us against the greater evils that seep through the worn stitching of our society.
And maybe I am just fooling myself. But the cost is too high to not do my part.
My prayers, too, are with the victims and families of those killed or injured in Hawaii and Seattle, as well as with all those victims and families whose faces and names and lives have passed across our television screens in the past.
Promises broken, yes. New promises made. November 3, 1999
