A senseless act of violence. A young man dead, an old man forced to kill. This is what happened when a person with a known criminal record parked in front of the Parliament buildings yesterday, got out of his car with a shotgun, and chose to walk down a road from which he couldnt possibly return. We mourn for the soldier who was shot and subsequently died while in service. For many of us, we are reminded of our own family who serve or have served in the Armed Forces. We mourn for the Sergeant at Arms who was forced to shoot the assailant who stalked the halls. The joy of his daily work will always carry that dark reminder. And everyone who was there, everyone who watched the news unfold, heard it on the radio...all are affected. This was not an act of terrorism or war, but of idiocy. And now the freedoms of a nation of people will pay the price. Watch carefully and closely with eyes, mind and heart unclouded by fear or anger. Dont let one mans actions give justification for the harm of thousands or more. We mourn for the violence. There are those who will lay blame on an egotistic government, unable to lead. Others will say its the violence of a dark interpretation of Islam. Its none of that. Its a person who felt they lacked in some way, who was filled with pain, anger, and emptiness. A person who perpetuated a cycle of hurt, the same cycle weve been faced with for millennia. Do we respond the same way? Do we respond in anger? In fear? In jingoistic resolve? We mourn. And then we get busy doing the good work of our lives. We choose strength and light over fear and darkness. We choose connection, even though it may seem difficult. Maybe especially because its not easy. You are not alone. We choose a better, more open world for our generations, not a world of continued cycles of pain. We have that choice. We always have that choice. We stand together. Hiy hiy
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 16:18:06 +0000
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