Friday, December 14, 2012

A Time to Mourn

I had begun outlining my essay for today when a family member called with news about the mass killing of schoolchildren in Connecticut this morning.

Quite frankly, the topic on which I was writing pales so much in comparison to the story breaking out of suburban New York City, I don't feel there's any point in posting what I was going to post today.  It can wait until next week.

Allow me to digress for a moment, however, and acknowledge how incongruous it is for us to swoon over news of mass shootings, but never get all worked up about people who kill other people with cars.  An average of 100 people PER DAY are killed in automobile accidents in the United States.  That's more than three Connecticut school shootings a day.  How about alcohol abuse?  45 of those deaths from car wrecks are caused by drunk driving - 45 a day.  Might gun shootings be sensationalized because they're so rare, relative to the other ways we're accustomed to killing each other?

Our lack of respect for one another isn't just manifested when somebody shoots somebody else, is it? 

Meanwhile, don't think that I'm not aggrieved over this tragedy in Connecticut.  Indeed, I encourage you to please pray for all of those directly impacted by this horrific event, and that the Holy Spirit would somehow be glorified through it this Advent season.
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2 comments:

  1. Well, Tim, I agree and don't agree. How's that for wishy-washy?

    I don't agree in that I think the principal difference is that Lanza deliberately and with malice aforethought planned and executed his rampage. People that drive under the influence are not in that same category, which is why--probably--the laws distinguish between murder and manslaughter.

    Finally firearms, in the final analysis, are devices that are made for killing, be it gophers, deer, or people. Cars are nowhere near there. Nor is beer or whiskey.

    But I certainly agree that we all need to be more aware of the consequences of DUI, and prepared to mourn those that die as a result.

    FWIW. Dave

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps I have not explained well enough that I believe people who drive under the influence make - whether overtly or subconsciously - the decision that other peoples' lives aren't worth taking a cab home, and therefore, they commit the same sin - willingness to destroy life - as Lanza did.

      You are correct in saying that the basic purpose for a gun is killing. If you and I were around during the drafting of the Second Amendment, we both would probably be closer in agreement that the 2nd is a poorly-thought-through amendment. However, Switzerland is awash in guns, yet they have nowhere near the violence per capita that we do. I don't think the answer is curbing access to guns. It's our love of violence and our lack of love for our fellow man.

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