Today I read a report in the New York Times about the actions of Judge John Roll. After seeing a man shot that morning, he shielded the poor man with his own body. The man will be released from the hospital within days. Judge Roll gave his life to make that happen.
I’m especially troubled by the casual use of the word “evil” during such tragedies. I’m not even sure what evil means. And little concrete good seems to follow the usage. Apparently, the shooter was a relatively normal kid in school before he started unraveling. Rather than labeling his unfortunate deterioration evil, I think it might be more useful to explore the treatment for the mentally ill and to examine why a person who’d been kicked out of school for behavior probably constituting schizophrenia is allowed to purchase a gun at a local Wal-Mart.
I’m still angry and bitter over this senseless killing. But when darkness descends like this, we need to work together to find solutions and turn away from the self-serving screaming.