We are left to examine how we spend our lives and how we treat people. I feel terribly for this man's family. We always hear about prayers and thoughts going to victims, but we never hear about the family. I can relate to this greatly. I can tell you from experience you question every moment you had with this individual. You carry enormous guilt and shame. You can't walk away from it, you're blood. Victims will always been remembered in a positive light. She was a wonderful girl so full of life. He was loved by all that knew him. The perpetrator is burned into everyone's mind as one thing; evil. Which is rightly true, but we all forget that they were human like the rest of us. At one time the individual was someone's beloved child, another's best friend and a regular person. We will always be left with one question: What brought them to this? The family is left with: What could I have done to change this outcome? What did I do wrong? Many times there is nothing that anyone could have done. The person is ultimately responsible for their actions.
We need to remember that this could have happened to any of us. We shouldn't dwell on the whatif. But it is important to really examine what is important to you. After all, our lives are merely blips in the grand scheme of the universe. We must also be much more aware on how we affect others. Is it really worth it flipping off that guy you were stuck behind in traffic? Is that the tipping point for that individual? Should you purposefully incite anger in someone who's angered you? Should you berate another unknown person online?
I will not give the knee-jerk support "my heart and prayers go to the victims" as it is meaningless in this day and age. The truth is that my mind and soul has gone into lost lives of the victims. The older I've gotten and with children I have become more and more aware of my own mortality. Our lives are short. We must conduct ourselves in a way in which we may live without regret.
I don't have much to say on this one. The guy's mental state is obliviously unstable. I get infuriated just thinking about how not one person tryed to stop this guy. I don't give a flying fuck about tear gas. I have nothing to lose, so I would have risked my life to save another. The end.
ReplyDeletetried*
DeleteI think you need to understand how quickly it all happened. I mean think about when we were there watching the movie. There was at least 15 minutes of previews before the movie started. We were comfortabley seated watching the large screen and not paying attention to anything else. And when you think about it, it was very very dark. I mean Chach and I couldn't find you so we had to text you just to see where you were. And at the time of an opening, the theater would have been packed. Sometimes its difficult to get out of the crowded auditorium when a movies over. Can you imagine what it would have been like when there was mass panic and chaos? If you read about the events many of the survivors paid no mind because they thought it was a promo event. On top of which there were many movie goers dressed up as batman. So given the time line and other variables(including tear gas, which I do not have much comment as I have never experienced it, but have read that the chemicals are quite effective.), it would be difficult for any one person to heroically stop this guy. He purposely picked an area and event in which people were at an extreme disadvantage and very vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for your courage, but none of us can accurately say what we'd do in that moment. People either do two things: fight or flight.