A call for compassion from Chris Vesci (seriously)

Our little world is a very angry and bustling place. Oftentimes, violence is fought with indifference, which seems to be the only reaction people have time for. Issues become so distorted by shades of gray that it is hard to make sense of them.

Dwell upon, for instance, the death penalty. I do not think killing people is the solution to our dilemmas. But it works in the here and now. It is far easier to say "Fry him" than it is to ask "why?" It may be the only answer we are capable of offering as mere mortals.

Until we truly confront our criminals and deal with them individually (because people are individuals), we will continue to hastily pass judgment on what is truly complex and confusing.

Yet, consider what you would do. What would you do to the Columbine killers had they lived? Wouldn't the death penalty seem justifiable? Then again, wouldn't that be stooping to their level, as some would argue?

See, here we make our first mistake. Law is law because it works. It does not always take the moral high ground. It would sacrifice morality for order. I am reminded of Benjamin Franklin, who said, "What you have the right to do is not always what is right to do."

People turn to laws to make sense of the inexplicable. We cannot be slaves of the law. Institutions do not solve problems. People do. People makes choices. Laws do not.

I think one of the first things we have to do is stop being disconnected from what goes on around us. We need a compassion injection. This is a civilization that watches (live, mind you) bloody school children falling out of windows on television. If we tire of that, we can switch to perhaps The Weather Channel. Is there any way to distinguish what is real from what is not real anymore? Is this possibly why sixyear olds are shooting each other?

It seems like the shooting sprees are getting more deadly, far more absurd and much more disgusting as the months progress. It is as if each one is an alarm screeching at us. What will it take for us to wake up?

But I guess it is far easier to remain in slumber. Change the channel when something disheartening comes on. Plop those convicts into seats and cook them.

I am not trying to guilt people, nor am I saying we are responsible for the actions of criminals. However, we are responsible for our own safety. I am simply stating that we need to investigate why these things are happening and start to feel genuine empathy again. Every child that dies is not only a crime against a family but a crime against civilization. Every person who is murdered or murders is a slap in the face to a civilized world. We owe it to ourselves to stop ignoring, get involved and preserve our safety. If not, there will be a shooting spree every day for the rest of our lives. We need to simply ask why. We are not doing this. We are letting our laws do the thinking.

I llI)1 reminded of the closing lines of "Johnny got his Gun," a novel by a man named Dalton Trumbo. Banned several times in this nation, the book details the pointlessness and pain of war and the potential power of the average man to resist a government that makes war. It ends, "You plan the wars you masters of men plan the wars and point the way and we will point the s.un." Unfortunately, because of an absence of compassion and an abundance of ignorance, it seems we are now pointing the gun at ourselves.

Chris Vesci is the assistant copy editor of Loquitur. We never knew he cared.

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