The mass shooting at Ft. Hood yesterday reminded me of a post I wrote in 2007 after the horrible event at Virginia Tech University. Entitled "The Not So Unfathomable," here's a portion of what I wrote then:
Every time there's a horrific mass shooting -- like today's tragedy in Blacksburg, Virginia -- I hear people express the common sentiment of being unable to fathom how an individual could commit random mass murder. As I've written here before, I truly believe that what makes incidents of this nature so frightening is NOT that they are so unfathomable but that almost all of us DO understand the anger, frustration, and the feeling of hopelessness that serves as the catalyst for these acts.
Put another way, what scares us most is that we can, in fact, fathom what took place.
In each of our lives, there are times when we become so heartbroken, so frustrated, so disillusioned or so enraged that, were it not for good support systems and internal controls, each of us could commit a heinous act. While we may never shoot anyone in the real world, we can imagine doing so and far worse in the deep recesses of our mind.
If you're completely honest with yourself, who hasn't wanted to exact a terrible revenge on a lover who has spurned you, a coworker who has backstabbed you, a supervisor who has been unfair to you or a friend who has been unfaithful to you? If the wound runs deep enough and the pain feels too acute, it's not atypical for any of us to want to make someone pay the price.
That someone is often ourselves. We abuse ourselves up one side and down the other. We tell ourselves we aren't any good and we deserve all the ill-fortune that comes our way. On the other side of the coin, if we secretly desire to cause great harm to another, we beat ourselves up for having such thoughts in the first place! What kind of monster am I?
Just as often, however, that someone is someone else. Who hasn't had a bad day at work or school only to come home and exorcise their angst on family members or friends? We've each been to this sorry place and probably visit it more often than we care to admit.
Even when we become angry with the person we believe caused our anger, who hasn't smashed a plate or screamed obscenities? We each behave badly, at times. While none of these occasions involves shooting a large swath of people, the anger and rage -- borne by our egos -- is the same. The only difference is in the level of magnitude.
As I wrote back in 2007, the thing that I think scares us the most about these mass killings is that we CAN fathom the emotions that fuel such atrocities. Few of us will ever allow that fuel to consume us completely, but the possibility exists, nonetheless. And that is truly frightening.
If you're completely honest with yourself, who hasn't wanted to exact a terrible revenge on a lover who has spurned you, a coworker who has backstabbed you, a supervisor who has been unfair to you or a friend who has been unfaithful to you? If the wound runs deep enough and the pain feels too acute, it's not atypical for any of us to want to make someone pay the price.
That someone is often ourselves. We abuse ourselves up one side and down the other. We tell ourselves we aren't any good and we deserve all the ill-fortune that comes our way. On the other side of the coin, if we secretly desire to cause great harm to another, we beat ourselves up for having such thoughts in the first place! What kind of monster am I?
Just as often, however, that someone is someone else. Who hasn't had a bad day at work or school only to come home and exorcise their angst on family members or friends? We've each been to this sorry place and probably visit it more often than we care to admit.
Even when we become angry with the person we believe caused our anger, who hasn't smashed a plate or screamed obscenities? We each behave badly, at times. While none of these occasions involves shooting a large swath of people, the anger and rage -- borne by our egos -- is the same. The only difference is in the level of magnitude.
As I wrote back in 2007, the thing that I think scares us the most about these mass killings is that we CAN fathom the emotions that fuel such atrocities. Few of us will ever allow that fuel to consume us completely, but the possibility exists, nonetheless. And that is truly frightening.
yep, i agree. what keeps me from hating other people is actually this very idea. i know in my heart that i have the potential to be any kind of person- a rapist, an idiot, a celebrity, a hermit, a socialite, a mass murderer, a patient in a psych ward, etc... so what right do i have to judge anyone else for their actions? their actions will have consequences of their own making. as for me, i've often been down that dark road of self-loathing and sadistic thoughts. i know its hallways well.
ReplyDeleteFrightening indeed. Good post.
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