Morning Musings

Recently I had a discussion with my sisters about seeing the good vs. seeing the bad in people.  It wasn't a deep long philosophical discussion, it was basically me saying, not everyone is a bad person or out to get you, and them saying, but there are a lot of bad people and gently chastising me for not being more aware and questioning of people.  I would like to state, I am aware there are bad people in the world, I just don't believe it's more likely than not, someone is going to want to kidnap me and stuff me in their trunk and drive me across state lines.  I understand the importance of safety and being aware, but I just don't think I have to live my life being vigilant every minute of every day.  I had basically dismissed this conversation, because as I said, it wasn't a lengthy thought-provoking conversation, but then I woke up yesterday to the headlines of the senseless tragedy in Aurora, CO.

Unfortunately this is not the first of this sort of tragedy we have seen in the last 10-15 years.  Columbine, Jonesboro, Virginia Tech, and the list goes on.  Obviously we all, as a society, mourn the loss of the innocent people and the grief of their families and loved ones in all of these violent crimes; but then it becomes almost automatic to get caught up in who these perpetrators were, what kind of person commits such senseless violence, what made them do it, what finally pushed them over the edge. I don't know if those questions can ever fully be answered.  People who commit such acts of violence are simply maladjusted individuals, who for whatever reason could no longer take the reality of their lives.  I am not so naive to know there are not bigger problems looming in our society, given tragedies of this proportion continue to plague our world, but I don't think we can shut down and shy away from people either.  Do I think we have a gun problem in the United States?  Absolutely.  I have never been a fan of guns and refuse to ever have one in my home.  I don't believe more guns in the hands of civilians is the answer.  Do I think Batman had anything to do with the shooting in Aurora?  No.  I think James Holmes would have found a message of violence in an episode of Sesame Street if he so chose.

 I know there are many of you, some of who may stumble across this blog post by mistake, who will vehemently disagree with my thoughts. You are as entitled to your opinions as I am to my own.  I write this not to offend, but simply to get my own thoughts out, make sense of what's been a running dialogue in my head for the last day.  As I said previously, I am aware there are bad people in this world, who do intend to do harm, and I am not free of knowing that first hand.  I have lost people I love to violent acts of crime.  However, I will continue to choose to look for the positive in people, see the good, because I believe the majority of the time it's always there.  If that makes me a bleeding heart liberal, so be it, that's a title I feel pretty comfortable owning.