|
I'm not
Amish, but my children attend a small rural school that, until this week
seemed, safely removed from the violence plaguing most of our world.
The truth
is, we're not safe anywhere. The recent shooting at an Amish school here in
Pennsylvania, only days after similar crimes in rural Colorado and
Wisconsin, makes it clear that there is nowhere we can hide from the
violence, and no one who can't be touched by it.
We need
to pray for the grieving families, for the children who survived, and for
the wife and children of the killer. And we certainly can and must act to
make guns less available. But in the end, no amount of metal detectors or
school police or other security measures will be enough to prevent another
attack. No federal school violence summit will save us.
We need
to look squarely at the root causes of such violence, at the evils we
tolerate daily in this violent and sick culture. I could start at the top:
The official justification of torture and sexual humiliation at Abu Graib
and Guantanamo. The clear message from our military in
Iraq
("We don't do body counts.") that the lives of people who believe and dress
differently don't count as much. The congressman preying on teenage boys on
Capitol Hill, while the leaders of the "moral majority" stand by.
Then
there are the obvious culprits: The glorification of violence and sexual
predators in film. Violent video games simulating everything from Columbine
to Fallujah. The unabashed exploitation of women and young girls as sex
objects in advertising, using their bodies to sell everything from cars to
beer. The news media that love nothing better than a horrible crime--the
more sadistic the better. They wallow for days in the most salacious
details, making criminals into instant celebrities with little thought to
the copycats they might inspire.
Even more
importantly, though, we each need to look in the mirror. What can I do about
all this?
The media
tell us the killer was angry at life and angry at God. This illustrates, in
a horrible way, where festering resentment can lead. We can't do much to
make our schools safer. But we can and must look at any grudges we have in
our own lives and free ourselves from them by forgiving. We can't prevent
the excesses of Hollywood or the Internet. But we can, though confession,
bring to light the secret darkness in our own hearts, breaking the power of
evil thoughts before they grow into evil deeds.
The
Amish, in their quiet way, are showing us the most fitting response to such
a horrible act. They can't find words to describe their pain, but they won't
be seeking revenge. Instead they will be turning to their faith to carry
them through. The rest of us Americans have a lot to learn from them. Their
conscious choices to eschew television, to refuse military service, to dress
modestly, and to live simply are among the sanest, most progressive, and
most hopeful responses to an insane culture that I've seen so far.
© 2006 by
Sam Hine
Farmington, PA
samhine @ mailstack.com |
