How?
When a story like the story of football player Adrian Peterson's kid comes down the line don't you just wonder, how?
Peterson's son was living with the child's mother. Allegedly the boyfriend of the girl beat the baby to death.
Two years old.
It is hard to fathom, right?
There is simply no reason why this should happen.
And make no mistake, it happens every day, somewhere in this country.
Back when I was working on House of Miracles I spoke to one of the doctors about it. I was a bit naive when I asked the question.
"How do you control your anger?" I asked.
"It's not up to me to be angry about it," he said. "I am, of course, but my job is to try and save the child. I don't have time to feel hate."
As the story of the death of Peterson's son broke there were two guys talking about it on sports radio.
They were debating whether or not Peterson should play on Sunday.
Then they were talking about what should be done to the man who stands accused. The two men were sort of giddy about what might happen to the man once he is confined to a jail cell.
And I suppose that is a normal reaction, right?
I had asked the doctor about that as well.
"I try real hard not to judge people that I come into contact with," he said. "It's easy to do, but where do you draw the line when you're judging someone? What if my idea of what is right and wrong is a tad aggressive, or a bit lenient? I certainly try not to judge, especially when the task at hand is to help."
And I honestly thought of that as the two men continued to debate which holes would get bigger on the man who was sent away. They then spoke of Jerry Sandusky as well and what they hoped was happening there.
I don't much care what happens to someone who commits such a crime...unless they go free, of course. There should be a swift punishment handed down.
Yet I have more of a desire to explore the How and Why of it all.
How does it happen and continue to happen?
Why is there so much violence?
Those are two fundamental questions that I feel will never be answered to my satisfaction.
I spent time considering those questions as a child.
I grew to an adult still contemplating them.
I sit here as a more than middle-aged man just wondering.
How?
I often think of a mass-murdering couple back in the 50's. Charles Starkweather had gone on a rampage across the mid-west and with his girlfriend they had indiscriminately killed people.
Without thought.
The newspaper clippings on the day they were caught tell most of the story. When asked why Starkweather very calmly says:
"Sir, I guess there's just a meanness in this world."
It's a hollow explanation.
Peterson's son was living with the child's mother. Allegedly the boyfriend of the girl beat the baby to death.
Two years old.
It is hard to fathom, right?
There is simply no reason why this should happen.
And make no mistake, it happens every day, somewhere in this country.
Back when I was working on House of Miracles I spoke to one of the doctors about it. I was a bit naive when I asked the question.
"How do you control your anger?" I asked.
"It's not up to me to be angry about it," he said. "I am, of course, but my job is to try and save the child. I don't have time to feel hate."
As the story of the death of Peterson's son broke there were two guys talking about it on sports radio.
They were debating whether or not Peterson should play on Sunday.
Then they were talking about what should be done to the man who stands accused. The two men were sort of giddy about what might happen to the man once he is confined to a jail cell.
And I suppose that is a normal reaction, right?
I had asked the doctor about that as well.
"I try real hard not to judge people that I come into contact with," he said. "It's easy to do, but where do you draw the line when you're judging someone? What if my idea of what is right and wrong is a tad aggressive, or a bit lenient? I certainly try not to judge, especially when the task at hand is to help."
And I honestly thought of that as the two men continued to debate which holes would get bigger on the man who was sent away. They then spoke of Jerry Sandusky as well and what they hoped was happening there.
I don't much care what happens to someone who commits such a crime...unless they go free, of course. There should be a swift punishment handed down.
Yet I have more of a desire to explore the How and Why of it all.
How does it happen and continue to happen?
Why is there so much violence?
Those are two fundamental questions that I feel will never be answered to my satisfaction.
I spent time considering those questions as a child.
I grew to an adult still contemplating them.
I sit here as a more than middle-aged man just wondering.
How?
I often think of a mass-murdering couple back in the 50's. Charles Starkweather had gone on a rampage across the mid-west and with his girlfriend they had indiscriminately killed people.
Without thought.
The newspaper clippings on the day they were caught tell most of the story. When asked why Starkweather very calmly says:
"Sir, I guess there's just a meanness in this world."
It's a hollow explanation.
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