Today, Canada searches for a man who killed, along with his brother, who he also murdered, thirteen people and injured 12 more. We call him a murderer and are on a manhunt for him. But Canada imprisoned his people in residential schools for generations, tore their heritage and dignity from them, and destroyed the deep bones of community. Just as my impulses and senses determine my choices, so do his, but we have a responsibility for the senses he experiences as we drove them deep into the soul of his people. The tragedy is his, the legacy is ours.
Emma, I think your response is well thought out, but not with the brain, with the heart. Society is sometimes responsible for creating "murderers". People like to call them evil, but we do not know what kind of hell that person has been through, and it is imperative we examine their life and have compassion. For every person has the ability to become a murderer, or anything else. Native people have survived genocide and many horrific things, and that means there is a lot of pain. Thank you for this heartfelt response.
On Sep 6, 2022Al Milligan wrote :
The 'subconscious' is a theory of knowledge. But it is a contradiction in terms. Consciousness is to be conscious. There is no subconscious running things. Sometimes a pencil is really only a pencil.
On Sep 7, 2022Al Milligan wrote :
The devil made me do it, honey!
On Sep 8, 2022Al Milligan wrote :
Emme excuses all murders. Everything she said about this mass murderer could apply to anyone whatsoever, including those who call for justice. We are all just victims of our upbringing. The man who kills your children did not really mean to hurt anyone. The most merciful thing we could do for him is to put him out of his miseries as soon a possible.
On Sep 8, 2022Emme Kearns wrote :
Thank you to those who have responded. I am not excusing all murderers but I do think that what the article I posted notes is that we are defined by our experience and only those who have access to the resources to overcome trauma, or extraordinary inner strength, have the ability to process and develop apart from that trauma. Our societies do not provide the resources that might help individuals overcome the traumas of the past. That is a fact. Until we do, we cannot point to individuals and say they are the guilty parties. We are all guilty parties to the extent that we support governments that do not provide social supports, early childhood supports, social benefits like health care, childcare, food benefits, and well-funded public schools. The government representatives we support are the ones we think best serve our own interests but those interests should and must come to include the interests of others. That, in the long run, would be the most merciful thing we could do. Thank you, again, for engaging.
On Sep 6, 2022 Emme Kearns wrote :