I'm so very sick of the violence going on. The murders of the little girls in Lancaster is just sickening. I really truly hate guns for many reasons. A gun in the hand of a maniac is devastating. A gun in the hand of a hunter not paying attention can kill or maim a person or livestock. A gun in the hand of an aggressive idiot can shatter a little boys arm or a life.
Hunting has started back up here, and I cringe every time I hear a gun go off... especially if we are taking the kids on a walk down the road. It's not that I'm against hunting...although the idea of killing a defenseless creature in this way isn't at all appealing to me... it's just that I've had too many acquaintances and family members who have had close calls. And none of these were people intending to cause harm! So many accidents!
Now I don't know what the answer it to keeping guns out of the hands of a mentally disturbed person. I guess if a person really wants to do such a horrible thing, he or she is going to be able to get a gun and do it. I have read some discussions on this stating the importance of recognizing signs of mental illness in order to try and help a person before they go off the deep end. People who let intense depression go on for years and years can actually have hallucinations. Some people are very closed minded to getting help when they really need it (and when they are able to do so). Then it gets so bad that they might lose touch with reality and can't do anything about it then. I don't know if this is what happened to the person who murdered the little girls or not. It's really hard not to feel hatred toward him whether he was mentally ill or not.
3 comments:
I have been so upset over the Lancaster shootings. I grew up in a small town in rural PA. We had a few Amish families in the area and many older order Mennonites. I had a Mennonite school just a mile or two from the house where I lived until I was 17. I just have a hard time understanding why somebody would choose such innocent people. I can't get the thought of how terrified the girls must have been out of my mind.
I don't really believe that taking your own life is a good thing, but in a case like this, why take so many others with you, if you are hell bent on self-destruction.
I get so teary-eyed when I think of those girls. I will say that after reading some articles over the last few days, I have to respect the Amish faith. They believe that the children have gone on to a better place and are better off then the survivors. Some Amish have actually reached out the the family of the shooter, because they know that he will be judged by God and it is not their place to judge him. It takes a great deal of faith to deal with things that way. I don't think I could be so forgiving.
I have been upset about it too. It was such an evil act...targeting sweet innocent young Amish girls. Maybe he was mentally ill, but he was also evil. And he had enough wits to plan it out in detail. What a rotten pervert.
It really is amazing to see how the victims' families are dealing with it. To be able to be so nonjudgemental and have such strong faith is a beautiful thing to see.
One of the first things that I said to MM after hearing about this was "I sure hope there's a hell so that he can burn there!" Yes, a really awful thing to say. It seems like he took a coward's way out because he doesn't have to pay for what he did on earth.
To see how the families are forgiving him really is touching and hard to fathom. I wish that I could have that kind of faith and outlook. It really is amazing.
We are going to stay in Strasburg for a long weekend in a few weeks. We really love the area..it's so beautiful and peaceful. We've had this planned for a while. I don't know how I'm going to feel going there now. It will be sad knowing what the people there are going through and seeing the place where it happened. I wish that I could do something. There are some funds set up to help the victims' families with medical costs and other things. There's also a fund to help the perpetrator's family.
I also read this morning that the Amish may give the shooter's family some of the money that they receive. They said that they do not ask for money, but will accept with humility.
It is shocking when any school has such a violent thing happen, but when it happened with the Amish is is just so completely different. It is like sending a lamb into a lions den.
I also feel bad for the shooter's family. I have tried to imagine how horrible his wife and kids must feel. They are wrapped up in something that they had no control over. I hope that they can find peace once everything dies down.
With all of this being said, I hope that the media soon leaves the area and leaves the Amish to grieve in peace. It has got to be very difficult for them to be thrust into our society.
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