A Time to Cry
Posted in: Blog by amy on April 27, 2013
I talk a lot about being present, absorbing the moment and embracing the joy in life. But, what I don’t talk about too much is the pain … the evil … the bad people out there. Unfortunately, I spend a lot of time thinking about it. I fantasize about making a difference, saving lives, ridding the Earth of cruelty. The problem is: Some people have trouble talking about the devastating news. I suppose it’s innate: You hear something shocking, you feel great sadness and then you change the channel. For what else can you really do? You can cry. You can yell. You can promise to make a difference. You can increase your pledge at the local shelter. Then your world knocks on your door, and you go back to your day-to-day routine. Well, I’m tired of forgetting and being inactive. I want to have the conversation. I want to consider action. I want us to think together. Let’s motivate each other to do more good or to even simply just FEEL more. Let’s take the time to think and feel and cry and simply discuss. I’m hungry for the conversation as I recently tried discussing some sad news with a friend who responded: “Okay, now I’m depressed.” End of conversation.
I get it. It’s tough to hear, and it’s even tougher to discuss sometimes. But, isn’t that the least we can do? By discussing it, maybe we are keeping memories alive … maybe we are fostering hope … maybe we are indirectly working on a better future. All through simple conversation.
Photo by Chad Anderson, dreamstime.com
Here is the recent sad news that has my soul begging me to act and that I want to TALK about with you:
Last week, a one-year-old boy was beaten with a belt and plastic hangers by his 22-year-old mother and her boyfriend. Lakeshia Baker and Michael Scott admitted that they severely beat the small, innocent child while they covered his mouth so the nearby grandmother wouldn’t hear the horrific screams and cries of the suffering child. Are you sick to your stomach yet? Are you tempted to stop reading? That’s a normal reaction. It’s so difficult to absorb this kind of news. If you are a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a HUMAN, well, then you surely have an aching pit in your stomach. If you allow yourself to then visualize the little boy struggling to breathe on the floor, then you may currently be having trouble breathing freely yourself.
I screamed at the TV when I heard the news. I cried when I read the story about the child in The Chicago Tribune last week. Of course, these stories are not rare. You certainly have heard of similar crimes in the past. They happened. They are happening. They will continue to happen. What is wrong with people? How does one lose all sense of control, goodness, sympathy, compassion, kindness? And, then, even if we can imagine ONE person snapping, then we must wonder how TWO people can support one another with their evil. The mom did the beating. The boyfriend did the beating. They both watched the child’s body slowly become lifeless after much suffering. Neither had a momentary break from their sickened souls to stop the other.
“One who condones evils is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it.” Martin Luther King
As long as I have you thinking and feeling and maybe weeping, I’ll just enhance the dark mood. (Hey, don’t worry … I’m sure to end this thought process with some encouragement.)
Now, I’m going a step further in my analysis of human evil: I just cannot grasp the fact that so many people can be evil, can condone evil, can do NOTHING to stop evil. Another heart-breaking moment came when I tried to relax in a steam room yesterday. I couldn’t help but to imagine innocent Jews being told they were getting showers to soon discover that what they thought was steam was their slow, painful killer. How disgusting is that? Again, I focus on the fact that it was not ONE evil perpetrator of these most heinous crimes. There were thousands of people who all participated actively in pure evil. That’s a lot harder to accept. There was not just this one powerful man named Hitler who was full of hatred and insanity. There was an army backing him. I think that’s why people are slightly comforted when they hear that the Boston bombers may have acted alone. Again, to picture an army of horrible people behind these two brothers is even harder to absorb.
Okay. Time to try to get some perspective that will allow us all to go to bed at night without being sickened by the fact that we are part of a human race that can act so deplorably. In the case of the Holocaust, we can try to focus on the goodness that existed … the people who were hiding Jews in their basements … the people who risked their lives to help others … the people who acted fearlessly and heroically. Yes, they did exist, they do exist, they will exist.
So, it’s a choice. You can focus on the good parents out there who love and nurture their children. You can remember the good people who rose above their evil-ridden surroundings. You can look at the grandparents who take their grandchildren to soup kitchens in an effort to teach them about the gift of giving. You can hear the news stories of marathon runners and supporters who took the shirts off their backs to help bleeding strangers. You can tell yourself whatever you need to so that you can sleep at night. And, then, you can help me and help yourselves and help the world by considering doing something to eliminate evil. That sounds preposterous, sadly. Eliminating evil. How about diminishing acts of evil? How about feeling and discussing and acting and donating and talking and doing something, anything, everything to spread goodness.
Let’s do something in honor of this adorable one-year-old child named Bryeon Hunter whose beaten body was dumped in a bag in the river. Please: Let’s be awake and aware and active! Don’t avoid reading this post. Don’t avoid hearing the news. Don’t avoid discussing these acts. Feel it, absorb it, know it … And simply talk about it. Simply KNOW it. You don’t have to volunteer at an abuse shelter to make a difference. You don’t have to donate thousands of dollars. You simply have to know and feel and breathe and remember. Once you do that, you are on your way to spreading goodness. Awareness. Remembering. Feeling. It’s a start. It’s what we can do. It’s what we must do.
For more information/reference: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-20/news/chi-bryeon-hunter-amber-alert-murder-20130419_1_prosecutors-child-body
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Another eye opening blog my friend!!
That’s an awful story! I hadn’t heard about it. Everywhere there are awful things happening. For me, there is nothing but the Word of God to bring peace to quiet my soul. Romans 12:9 says hate what is evil and cling to what is good…do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. And the knowledge that we can be safe from evil ultimately in God alone. If God is for me what can man do to me? Revelation 21:4: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no death neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shell there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away…Behold I make all things new. While evil and suffering are present now, it won’t always be. Redemption is Gods story. Paul, the chief apostle in the New Testament ( who suffered greatly) said: for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all ( 2 Corinthians).
Thanks for promoting conversation and sharing Amy. It’s valuable. Always enjoy your blog. Karyn
Very thought-provoking post (as usual for this blog)
Amy, As always your provocative words engage my mind! I, also, heard that story of a small child beaten to death with horror. Doing what we can to help our world be a better place to live is essential. There will always be tragic stories, sadly. But we can take a step toward changing things by choosing something we are passionate about and focusing effort on it. Every little effort by the millions of good people out there can make a difference. As one peaceful leader said – BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD – Ghandi – Thanks for your caring spirit to help change the world with your words. Judy
See Amy, the problem is that we are overwhelmed by the evil. Not just every day, but countless times each day. The news is constant, and it is almost always depressing. Sometimes I, we – have to bury our heads, and refuse to listen, because it does become too much. In today’s wired world there is no hiding, no running away. You are right, our option is to be aware, and yes try to add some light in the constant darkness, but often we must hide in order to maintain some semblance of sanity in an insane world.
You are so right: If we allowed ourselves to absorb all of the pain and evil, we would not fair so well ourselves. So, I suppose “hiding” is an occasional requirement. Thank you for your thoughtful response.
And I always appreciate the fact that you take the time to read my thoughts and share yours, as well.
I think you’re way ahead of the game already by at least acknowledging that there IS evil and ARE evil people in the world. I’m one of those guys who think there are a lot MORE good people, but denying that there are a lot of evil people at every income level and from every ethnic group, etc. is a sure way to let evil win. In society today I see a lot of non-people being blamed for evil; the environment, banks, corporations, etc.