THE QUESTION LINGERS on the edge of my brain, nearly tumbling in words onto my tongue, over my lips and out my mouth.
What is this world coming to?
Do you ever ponder that very same question, asking today why a 24-year-old would open fire in a Colorado movie theater killing a dozen and injuring some 60 more? Why? What drives a person to such violence, to take the lives of other human beings who are simply out for an evening of entertainment?
Why, on July 10, did a father in River Falls, Wisconsin, kill his three young daughters? To get back at/punish/hurt his ex-wife?
Why do two young girls vanish, poof, just like that, while riding their bikes in a small Iowa town?
What is this world coming to?
About two blocks away from this anniversary party in south Minneapolis, a crime scene was unfolding late last Sunday morning.
Why, last Sunday, when my family drove to south Minneapolis for a 50th wedding anniversary party, did we turn off Lyndale Avenue and a block away encounter a multitude of police cars and yellow crime scene tape and a TV news crew arriving? We continued on our way wondering what was unfolding as we greeted family, sipped lemonade and slipped into folding chairs in the festive, fenced in backyard just down the street and around the corner.
When my middle brother arrived a bit later, he noted that officers were posed with weapons drawn. Were any of us in danger as we drove past the scene?
What is this world coming to?
Why are children, the most innocent of victims, being shot and killed in Minneapolis on such a regular basis that this horrible crime no longer surprises us?
Have we become immune to violence and the essence of evil which drives it?
What is this world coming to?
When will the killing stop?
© Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I heard about what happened in the movie theatre. Unbelievable and such a horrible selfish and cruel act. It’s all beyond sad. I posted a few days ago about an 18 year old boy murdered in Kings Cross on a Saturday night. He was the victim of a random attack. After donating his organs, his funeral was yesterday. The day before the murderer was taken into custody. He is an 18 year old man estranged from his family who is known as ‘a couch surfer’ for being of no fixed address. That night he had randomly king hit three others. While justice will be served it will be of little comfort to the family of the victim. Try to have a good weekend anyway Audrey xx
Thank you, Charlie, for your thoughts from across the ocean. When I read your post about the young man murdered in King’s Crossing, I thought as I am thinking now. Why?
Checking the headlines on Fox News this a.m., I read about the Boston mayor who is denying Chick-fil-A the permits for another store (there are already 2 in the area) because of their stated position on the Biblical view of marriage. Chick-fil-A states, in their mission statement, in part, that they strive to treat all people with dignity, respect and equality…….yet they are being denied the necessary permits, etc., because of their support of organizations that espouse the same beliefs. When man’s wisdom is given a “throne” we will perish. The Bible states that “there is a way that seems right unto man but it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12). Thought: a man can climb to the top of a skyscraper and jump, denying in his mind the unseen fact/force/truth of gravity but that truth will have its way. In the same way, man may deny God, Who is unseen, but in the end He will have His way. It is a very dangerous course to set to deny “truth”! ……… Ahhhhhh, such heavy-and tragic-thoughts on a Saturday morning (but if not now, when??). Hugs, D
Heavy thoughts can provide much insight. Thank you for sharing.
More thoughts in my head, but enough for now lest your well-written post gets “smothered” with too many opines. Reality displays what, truly, is in the heart of “man”.
Think we’re all feeling this way … woke up yesterday to the news of the Aurora shooting and felt sickened all day. Some of us talked about whether there really is more of this stuff these days, or we’re just more aware of it because of media coverage. No matter what — I still felt safer years ago ….
That’s an interesting question you raise, Carol, regarding whether more of this type of violence is happening now days or whether it’s more a matter of media coverage and our resulting awareness. I think there’s more large-scale violence like this than when I was growing up, for sure. So many contributing reasons…decline in values, less respect for authority, less personal accountability, less respect/value for human life, negative influence of television/movies/music/computer games, eroding of the family…
Readers, how would you answer the question Carol raises?
Here I go again. TOLERANCE is the key word for what is happening today. Years ago, there wasn’t any tolerance as far as wacko groups forcing their ideals on us. Tolerance is associated with the size of engine valve and its piston to make the power. There is no room for tolerance other than the perfect fit. If the valve gets warped or the piston wears out, the engine will not run properly. Our United States of America is akin to “tolerance with the pistons and valve cylinder. Either the piston is broken, or the cylinder is cracked. America will not work without the perfect fit. English was the only language spoken in our schools, and churches, and God had not yet been banned from Public buildings. We became tolerant of all these issues. When our ancestors came to America from all over Europe and other continents, they wanted to change their lives and live the American Dream, and adopted all what America had to offer, including learning English, working hard, and getting no “assistance” of any kind. Then came the mid 1960’s when all broke loose and inmates started running the asylums. Guns were banned from the good people, God was stripped from all public places, Christian Prayer was banned completely in public places, and Christians were considered weak and “dreamers”. When I was in school, the guys brought their guns to school to make new gun stocks for them, they even brought them onto the buses and left them in their cases in the front with the band instruments. Now if one draws a picture of a gun in school, they are expelled or jailed! So lets say tolerance is good, then why is there all these mass killings in public venues, (guns are banned), we can not say prayers in public (prayers are banned), and our great America is run by nuts!!!!!! I think we need to be less tolerant and return to the safe America we had prior to the wild 1960-today. Lawyers, ACLU and the like are making our America into a 3rd world mentality. By the way, we even had Christmas Trees in our Classrooms when I was in school, and even said grace before our lunch. Was that bad? I don’t think so, we all became good citizens of the greatest place in the World, the United States of America. One more thought, the doors to our public school were never locked during the day or while anyone was in school. Not one incident happened, no one was ever threatened with a gun, and we didn’t have to worry about the bully’s on the bus or playground, as the teachers had the right to straighten their warped attitude in a hurry. Today kids know they have the upper hand and threaten law suits to any one that thinks differently. And if they don’t, their parents are calling their attorney before the twisted lies are out of their little “Dears” mouth. Now does tolerance seem ok?
That is a lot of thought to wade through, Allan. But thank you for sharing your opinion, which we are privileged to do in these United States of America.
I wanted to point out something interesting shared with me yesterday by a friend who is very much into history. She wondered, like me, and other commenters, if there are more incidents of mass shootings today than in the past or if it simply seems that way due to more media coverage/better communication. So she googled the topic and came across the Bath School Disaster, the name given to three related bombings in Bath, Michigan in 1927. The treasurer of the Bath School was so upset about taxes levied to fund new school construction, which he blamed on financial hardships leading to foreclosure on his farm, that he carried out the mass murder. Forty-five people were killed, 38 of them children.
My friend concludes:
So apparently tradgedies such as this occured before the invention of our modern day information devices. I am always amazed as I do research, at the great number and types of murders that were commited in the early part of this past century. And it seems to me that not too much has changed. The methods may have changed somewhat but man has always been capable of killing his fellow man – throughout this large and beautiful world. So the question remains – WHY?