There Are Victims; Then There Are Victims

Is it just ME, or are you, too, overwhelmed by the too frequent news stories about senseless victimization of innocent people?

Silly question; of course you are!  We all are.

This week’s news brought us another “no apparent motive” slaying of innocent holiday shoppers in an unsuspecting mall.

Clad in hockey mask and bullet-proof vest (God forbid the shooter would allow himself to become a victim!) a young male ran through a mall taking the lives of two innocent victims and wounding others.

 

Then, he took his own life (at least two bullets too late, in my opinion - and I feel awful even feeling that way). I still cannot grasp the concept of killing innocent people, then killing yourself. If that were the plan, why the bullet-proof vest?  Control?

Experts tell us it’s about the “legacy” the shooter creates for him/herself in creating front page news as opposed to being another entry on the obit page. 

I won’t mention the name of the shooter; I won’t give him that.

Author and Speaker, Sonia Ricotti, expressed it this way:

"Anytime you blame others and complain about your situation, you are choosing to be a victim. By playing the victim role you are putting yourself in an ineffective and weak position. It is virtually impossible to allow incredible miracles to enter your life when you choose to remain in this negative mental state."

So, perhaps this shooter was, indeed, his own victim; the most tragic one of all.  Has it become impossible for a 22-year old to hold-out hope for the future – his own?

I get that it can be hard to stay positive these days.  We’re free-falling over financial cliffs, recovering from earthquakes that haven’t given us enough time to heal from last year’s.  We are trying to hold onto the dreams of generations past who succeeded in making the world a better place – at least for a time. 

So, are we all victims?  Victims of time, circumstances, government, Mother Nature?  I think there are compelling arguments in all of these directions; but I’d argue against every one.

By one definition, being a victim is what happens to you over which you have no control.  Ahh, control.

By another definition, being a victim is a state of mind.  Does that absolve us from the responsibility to stay in control of ourselves, to be accountable, and to work to rise above.

I have never thought of myself as a victim.  Have I suffered involuntary consequences due to the act of others? MY OWN? Yes; I imagine we all have.  But I won’t accept being a victim.  This may sound crazy, but I would rather be a slain victim of a random madman than a lifelong victim of myself.  I believe the latter is exponentially more tragic.  Self-inflicted wounds are the hardest to heal.

As more information comes out about the Mall Shooter, perhaps we will sympathize; even empathize.  But please, let’s refuse to accept that, collectively, we are not better than this.  We can be.  We need to be.

So IS it just me, (please tell me it’s not) or do you, too, hold out more hope for the world than senseless – selfish – acts of violence that diminish all of us.  

Let’s decide, individually and collectively, to focus on the positive – especially at this time of the year – and reassure ourselves that even a single act of kindness can impact as many lives – maybe more – than a single act of violence.

As for the others, well … pray!