Another Shooting

. . . On Omaha television broadcasts, those who knew Hawkins said he was a troubled youth who dropped out of high school a year ago. Hawkins recently was fired from a job at a local McDonald's and had been taking medication for emotional problems, several friends said. . .

. . . told the Associated Press that the youth was "an introverted, troubled young man who was like a lost pound puppy that nobody wanted." She said that in addition to losing his job, Hawkins had recently broken up with a girlfriend. . .
__________________________________________________________________________________

It might be easy to ask, "Why did this shooter value other peoples lives so little?'

It might be harder to ask, "Who do I know, or actively ignore, that is like this?"

This poor crazy foolish kid thought that by shooting people he would become famous and at the same time he would end his pain and discomfort. I'm quite sure there are groups out there ready to claim it was the drugs he was on, the video games he played, or the music he listened to.

Sadly, it is a much larger picture of neglect and social isolationism.

These children, usually young males in high school or recently out of school, are so often expected to adapt to a bizarre and ever changing set of social norms. So often they are expected to accept that the world is just fine, and that everything will turn out alright if you just resume your place in line.

What is often left out of the equation is that medication and video games and angry music are not the issue if they are part of a full circle, or even semi-circle, of love and support from the community that we live in.

Note, I fully believe that this persons family loved him, but just as an estranged husband on rare occasions will act in a violent way towards his ex, so too will our estranged youth take aim at the society that has snubbed them.

We live in a highly transient and ever changing world. We move often, we don't allow the roots of a community to grow and we do not value friendship with as many people as we used to.

Too many people fall into the habit of retaining a small clique. This limited circle of friends reduces the feel of any open community for outsiders into the very real instances of neglect and social depravity.

I am in no way suggesting we go out and have an 'adopt a depressed neighbour' day weekend. I AM suggesting that we might want to shift our focus from making huge profits in real estate (which appears to make some people a lot of money) to making huge long lasting communities (which appears to make people build relationships with their neighbourhoods).

I thought I would save what most would feel is a punchline for the end. Like in Jerry Maguire, focus less on big money in real estate and more on what it takes to build a community.

It's not just location, location, location. It's also time, respect, diversity.

All around, this is a horrible story and no one has the right to take others life, especially in some mad quest for fame in the afterlife. Maybe this is why people used to instill a deep fear hell. Kill a bunch of people and you will go to hell.

Robert Hawkins was in hell before his life ended.