“The individual is capable of both great
compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the
former and outgrow the latter.”
I have been having a case of writer’s block the last few
weeks as I go back and forth between trying to focus on positive stories about
the Choices people make compared to the negative Choices of others that
infuriate me.Today I had two possible entries
– a story I read on Tiger Woods and others about their so-called sex addiction
or this tragic case of an Alabama professor who snapped after not getting tenure
and killed 3 colleagues and wounding others.
I am not sold on this sex addiction diagnosis as it seems
these days society is quick to label and medicate the poor behavior of people
whether it is kids with ADHD and giving them Ritalin or horny guys and girls
who give into temptation and referring to them as having a “disease”.But I digress as the more details that come
out regarding Amy Bishop, the sadder it seems on how we either cover things up
in our society or have become more indifferent to inappropriate, rude or
illegal actions.(Click
Here) for the latest on this story as all the signs were there on this
woman and she needed to be held accountable for her actions as a teen and since
then, including her arrogance and assault when she did not get a high chair at
IHOP.
The 1986 killing of Bishop’s brother stinks of cover-up or
incompetence but the fact is there are many who know the truth as there are too
many good, ethical police officers to allow either one or two at this station
or in the DA”s office to give them all a bad name.Bishop got away with murder then, maybe not
intentional but after last week’s actions, would you want to bet it was an
accident back in 1986, especially after the reports of how she left the home,
including waving the gun at people in an auto shop and police?
As I sit here writing and reading, I realize this entry is
far from inspiring but I hope it allows people to question more things that
seem out of the ordinary, especially those in authority positions like police,
teachers, and coaches as well as at the office.Sadly, there are stories weekly about disgruntled employees going to
work and snapping or students taking revenge on classmates.Like this Bishop case, the signs start at an
early age and if left unaddressed, it can lead to tragedy.
I am not saying we become a vigilante society nor may we be
able to prevent all future incidents like this from happening.But if we can head some off, it will be worth
it, especially if we start early with kids so they learn what it means to be a positive,
contributing member of society. Like
our opening quote from Norman Cousins, the Choice is ours in what we are
capable of in our lives.
