Where is the Love?

I've been a bit quiet for a while on this here blog-o-sphere.  I know I'm not alone in the sense that I didn't have the right words to say after the Sandy Hook tragedy. Then the hub-bub of Christmas and the New Year came and went, and still, I had no words.  Everything else to write about just seemed frivolous or irrelevant.  My mind has swirled with thoughts, and yet I just haven't been able to find the right words and put them together coherently.  This is not a post about Sandy Hook, per se. This is not a post about gun control or even mental health care. It's a post about humanity. About decency. About respect for human life.

What has happened to the human race?  What has happened to compassion? To empathy? To understanding and forgiveness?  What happened to the Golden Rule?  You know the one, do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

I'm likely going to say some things that will not be met with applause or amens. But it's what is on my heart, and so I will share it because if I am nothing else here in this blog, I am real and I am honest about what I feel and think.

We have always had violence in the world. I don't deny that. But our response to violence, I believe, has changed.  It seems as though the majority are no longer shocked at seeing violence against others or hearing about a gruesome death. I shared an article recently about a young man standing on a ledge four stories high who was being taunted by a few people in the crowd below to "Jump!" with no one stepping in and trying to stop them, not even the police officers nearby. Where is our compassion for another human? Where is our respect for human life?

There is a picture that floats around on Facebook that says something to the effect of, "Why are we still testing on animals when we have pedophiles in prison?"  I'm no fan of pedophiles, believe me, but again, where is the compassion? When do we start wanting to help people instead of wanting to string them up and hang them in the public square? Has all forgiveness and belief in changing a life been lost?  Do we think that because a person has been a drug addict or pedophile or rapist or kidnapper or even a murderer that they can never be anything but that thing? Do we think they are beyond rehabilitation or major change?  Yes, some people are wicked evil and do horrible things. They may never change. Ever. But do we stop believing in the possibility of change? Do we stop believing that good really can conquer evil?  And does that mean we just completely disregard their life? Maybe they should just be given the death penalty? Or, as I've seen people suggest before, let's just "line them up in front of the firing squad and kill them all!" Who decides whose life is worth it? Who decides whose life is valuable enough to not take it from them? Who decides whose life is worth a second chance, a third chance ... ?

Eye for an eye, you say?  Then the whole world is blind, if I may paraphrase Ghandi.  Do you know what IS shocking to us now?  Forgiveness.  Do you remember the Amish schoolhouse shooting?  It was just over six years ago.  A gunman took 10 girls hostage, aged 6-13 years, and killed 5 of them before taking his own life. The nation was shocked alright.  Shocked at how the Amish community responded to this killing.  A grandfather of one of the murdered girls was heard saying, "We must not think evil of this man." Members of the community attended the funeral of the shooter, they visited his wife and extended their forgiveness. They set up a charitable fund for the killer's family. His wife wrote a letter to the Amish community and said, "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately needed. Gifts you have given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you." Oh yes. We were shocked. Who can fathom such a thing? Who can have such compassion as this?

Much more recently you may have heard the story of Ann Margaret Grosmaire who was murdered by her boyfriend, Conor McBride.  The Grosmaires found forgiveness for Conor and have participated in a "restorative justice" program through the Florida courts as opposed to pushing for his life sentence behind bars. Conor's mother, Julie McBride, said, "I think we're all surprised at the depth of forgiveness we can have.  I think we don't really know what we are capable of forgiving until we're actually in the situation, whether it's a driver cutting you off at a red light or circumstances this tragic.  Andy and Kate Grosmaire have publicly demonstrated what true forgiveness looks like."  The Grosmaires made it clear that this was certainly not an easy thing for them to do, but they felt it to be the right thing to do. Who can have such compassion as this?

Human life deserves respect. It deserves second and even third or fourth or one hundred fifty-seventh chances. We are each only given one life to live, and I, for one, hope beyond all hopes that me and my life as a whole are not judged on the worst mistake I've ever made.  I would hope that others could find some understanding, some compassion and see that forgiveness doesn't just benefit the receiver, it benefits the giver, too.

I shake my head at our world. I don't understand it at times. I don't understand how a person can believe they have to take another person's life or several people's lives, children's lives, to ... what? Be heard? Make a point? Gain attention? Steal something? Get out of a bad marriage? Pay someone back for a past wrong? Whatever the "reason", I don't understand it. I shake my head at the nonsense. Our disregard for human life, our apathy toward other people who we don't think have any bearing on our own lives, our detachment from other members of society ... when will we start caring again? When we will find compassion and start trying to make a difference?

~Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love"

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma

Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK

But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah

Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love (The love)
Where is the love, the love, the love

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace are so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong

Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone

So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover

The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love (The love)?
Where is the love, the love, the love?

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction

Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema

Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity

That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
Now ask yourself

Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?

Father, Father, Father, help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love?

Sing with me y'all:
One world, one world (We only got)
One world, one world (That's all we got)
One world, one world
And something's wrong with it (Yeah)
Something's wrong with it (Yeah)
Something's wrong with the wo-wo-world, yeah
We only got
(One world, one world)
That's all we got
(One world, one world)