My Heartfelt Condolences to the Tree of Life Family
Read Time:2 Minute, 53 Second
As most of my longtime readers know, I am anti-gun. I’ve written more than a few articles on how I feel towards gun laws, the NRA, and gun nuts, and not one single thing has changed. I thought, maybe somewhat naively, that things would’ve changed after the massacre at Sandy Hook, but if anything, they’ve gotten worse.
It’s hard to write this without flying into a rage. It’s hard not to write about what happened last week at the Tree of Life Synagogue and not use it as another angry rant against gun violence. But here’s the thing- spewing more hate and anger is not the Jewish way. I won’t disrespect the people who died by going off on the people that are responsible for their deaths.
It’s sad enough when children die for no reason. They are robbed of having a future, whether it be bad or good. The reason my heart feels so heavy for the Tree of Life victims is that they were all elderly people, no one under fifty. The oldest was 97, I believe.
They were helpless and defenseless, mowed down by a madman for no other reason than that they were of the Jewish faith. I don’t pretend to know what kind of mentality it takes to do something like this, but I have to wonder, does this level of irrational hatred override your sense of common decency?
Every time something like this happens, people try to make sense out of the senseless, but sometimes, evil is just plain evil. It’s a mix of fear and ignorance, and no matter how much patience, understanding, and love you try to use to overcome it, it ingrains itself in the soul like a poison without an antidote.
I don’t understand bigotry toward the Jewish people. What have they ever done to deserve it? I mean, the Japanese were responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor, but it’s not like we’re holding that against them. But yet white supremacists and neo-nazis are foaming at the mouth continuing Hitler’s prejudice, hatred that should have died with him.
Before you ask, no, I’m not Jewish, though I have thought about converting once or twice. I find that the Jewish faith is rich with good values, spirituality, and tradition. The only reason I don’t is because, well… I have my own issues with religion in general. But at least I don’t begrudge anyone else their own beliefs, no matter how silly I think they are.
I have a fondness for the Jewish community, and I just wanted to express my heartfelt sorrow at the loss of their brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh. So having said that, if there is a lesson to be learned from this tragedy, it’s that all hate does is drive people to acts of violence, but maybe, just maybe, we can learn from it and use it to spread more love, peace, and understanding.
I honestly wish I knew the right words to say in Hebrew, but since I don’t, I just want to tell the families, friends, and survivors of the Tree of Life shooting, I am sorry for the loss of your loved ones, but you will see them in Heaven again one day as I am sure their names were recorded in The Book of Life.
Shalom.
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This is very nice Gregory, and a departure from your usual vitriol 🙂 Love this sort of stuff, excepting the tragic circumstances. Say hi to Charley for me 🙂
I haven’t changed, Rachael- my article from last week was just a joke that people took too personally. We need all hands on deck on Tuesday, and we don’t have time to whisper sweet nothings. Apparently, it’s fine when I make those kind of jokes when I’m making fun of the Republicans, but not so much when I turn it on our own.
For the record, I am a liberal- not a Democrat, not a leftist, or a progressive. I want what’s best for the American people as a whole. I am not politically correct, and I don’t really care about PC labelling. It is what it is. The younger generation has to pull up their pampers and grow up. Now is the time for them to be kind of people their parents intended them to be- the kind that stand up for EVRRYONE, not just for themselves.
What a difference in tone from last week’s article Greg. I like this ‘you’ much better.
There is no sense to be made mate.
Humanity contains some extraordinary people. It also contains some scum.
Always has and, sadly, always will.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in reaso able gun laws that make it harder for those with mental illness or anger issues to get guns. To better track where guns are, sales, robberies. And to have a national standard of requirements with a national database that is mandatory to keep current. There is lots we can do to regulate guns but not to regulate hate, paranoia and rhetoric that sets it all in motion.
I wish gun laws can fix this but I don’t think they can. What lives inside the people of this sick society is an evil illness so black, fed by so called leadership of this country, themselves so sick with the corruption of power grabbing that no amount of laws will change our course. We must change the narrative or we lose it all. The GOP has opened the box and unleashed an evil over which they have no control, even though they think they do. We are about to lose all we have known, all we hold dear, all we have worked for. Many people think I am too pessimistic, too extreme but I was born to parents who lived through the fall of their country, the hostile takeover by communists and firsthand experience with the ensuing violence. It CAN happen, it DOES happen. Think America is too big, too great to fail, to fall? Don’t count on it.
So well said. I get accused of being a “gun nut” which means different things to different people, because I also don’t think most of the proposals I hear are going to reduce violence to acceptable levels, mostly because there are no acceptable levels. Hate and bigotry are human (and Chimpanzee) nature and bad people use that and always have and always will. I don’t know how you change the narrative. Sooner or later any narrative evolves back to that great ape level again because it’s our nature. I once thought our system of laws offered protection, but technology has overwhelmed it and allowed reality to succumb to lies and hate and our unconquerable infatuation with tyrants. We live in a time with so much distraction that too many people who could make a difference do not for a variety of idiotic reasons and what do we have but bitterness and sarcasm to counter it with? I know someone born here before his parents became naturalized who somehow supports Trump’s attack on the 14th amendment. I know someone else whose parents never were naturalized and she supports Trump. Why wast time trying to figure that out? I can’t explain insanity or understand it any more than the excuses for not voting.
Greg my friend; there are more assholes in the world than there are asses. How to express condolences to the victims of the acts of scumbags is incredibly difficult. I’ve always thought “thoughts and prayers” were conveyed because we can’t think of anything else to say. But Presidents have gotten really good at expressing condolences so we can take that as a positive.