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Old 06-11-2009, 09:57 AM
 
Location: Near Manito
20,170 posts, read 24,246,106 times
Reputation: 15284

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Okay, an 88-year-old man murders a security guard and is himself critically wounded in the commission of his crime. I understand from news reports that he is a veteran, and literate enough to have his own website and even publish a book or two. Both inspiring reads, I'm sure.

But the epiphany of his life, and the thing for which he will always be remembered, is this act of bigotry and hatred culminating in the death of a family man whom the perpetrator never met but for whom he apparently felt some sort of racial animosity.

For the life of me, I cannot see how this guy, Van Whatever, escapes some sort of retribution. If the Christian fundies are to be believed, the dude goes to hell. If the Buddhists and Hindus are right, he comes back as a hookworm. If the atheists are right, he exists forever as a bit of data that made the evening news for a few days, and is cited as an example of whatever cause future researchers wish to trumpet -- be it gun-control, right-wing fanaticism, male oppression, caucasian bigotry, whatever.

Loser. Loser. Loser. Strike three. A wasted life.

As a man well into his sixth decade, who is trying sincerely to become more accepting of others and their looney motivations, it seemed to be simply outside my ken to be able to fit this killer into any category of humanity that could be understood.

Eighty-eight years old and this is his existential piece de resistance? Excuse me for thinking that, from my mahayana perspective, Mr. Van Chickensh*t just bought a roundtrip ticket to eternal invertebrate rebirth.

So I think I'll just work on forgiving and pitying him, as we forgive the ignorant ones who are incapable of mature thought, and pity them for the consequences to them and their karma that such malignant perversions of thought can bring when put into conscious action.

That this man is a product of the kind of evil brooding on lies that motivated and continues to motivate millions of dimwitted people who believe themselves superior to others because of their race or religion, and justified in committing brutal acts of violence against the innocent, is a further demonstration that humanity has a long way to go before we can honestly conclude that we are made in the image of God.

Of course, the cynics among us will use this episode as further proof that there is no God at all, and that illusions to the contrary are fatuous and the product of wishful thinking. To my way of thinking, it is this latter consideration which makes this man's act a crime against us all, by reminding us of Yeats' observation that

"The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."


The remedy is either to place this man outside the human family, which is patently impossible, or to classify him as a hopeless lunatic, sickened in his soul by the lies he has chosen to believe in spite of the evidence of his own senses.

The latter course is the only one we can take, though it is a troubling and ambiguous one.

But hey. That's life. And living it in sorrowful acceptance is not a waste.

Last edited by Yeledaf; 06-11-2009 at 10:30 AM..
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Old 06-11-2009, 10:29 AM
 
Location: Mesa, Az
21,144 posts, read 42,012,747 times
Reputation: 3861
Something to remember:

Since such flagrant White supremacists are declining in numbers; it is truly a shock these days when one murders (or tries to) somebody who is Jewish, Black, (brown) Hispanic, etc. solely over 'race/ethnicity/culture'.
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Old 06-11-2009, 11:10 AM
 
3,562 posts, read 5,206,954 times
Reputation: 1861
Ok, you forgive him. I can't. That is a terrorist. And the white supremecy movement is growing.

I cannot believe that it is 2009 and the level of ignorance that is in this country astounds me.
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Old 06-11-2009, 11:16 AM
 
Location: A Nation Possessed
25,300 posts, read 18,450,072 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf View Post
If the Buddhists and Hindus are right, he comes back as a hookworm.
Hope they are right. The jerk deserves to be a hookworm.
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Old 06-11-2009, 12:28 PM
 
18,936 posts, read 11,530,909 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf View Post
roundtrip ticket to eternal invertebrate rebirth.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf View Post
Yeats'
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
From one of my all-time favorite poems - like top 3!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf View Post
The remedy is either to place this man outside the human family, which is patently impossible, or to classify him as a hopeless lunatic, sickened in his soul by the lies he has chosen to believe in spite of the evidence of his own senses.

The latter course is the only one we can take, though it is a troubling and ambiguous one.

But hey. That's life. And living it in sorrowful acceptance is not a waste.
Are these really the only possibilities you see? What about the best regaining some of their conviction? For example, I think there's value in understanding what breeds this sort of hate, educating people about it's dangers, and setting an example by living with compassion for our fellow man. Understanding that this sort of hate probably will always exist to some extent is one thing - accepting and giving into it is quite another.
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Old 06-11-2009, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Near Manito
20,170 posts, read 24,246,106 times
Reputation: 15284
Quote:
Originally Posted by toosie View Post


From one of my all-time favorite poems - like top 3!

Are these really the only possibilities you see? What about the best regaining some of their conviction? For example, I think there's value in understanding what breeds this sort of hate, educating people about it's dangers, and setting an example by living with compassion for our fellow man. Understanding that this sort of hate probably will always exist to some extent is one thing - accepting and giving into it is quite another.
Thank you for your thoughts. On the contrary, I do not think that acknowledging the existence of evil is the same as "accepting and giving in to it." By "acceptance" I did not intend to refer to the message of this evil man, but to the fact of the existence of evil in the world. I remain convinced that this existence is ambiguous in its implications -- do we excuse behavior which we cannot comprehend as a form of sickness, or should consequences obtain to it which underscore our collective ethical values? -- and worthwhile, if only to underscore the essential sense of sorrow which inevitably tempers the joy that our lives can bring, both ourselves and to others.
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Old 06-11-2009, 01:13 PM
 
18,936 posts, read 11,530,909 times
Reputation: 69883
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf View Post
I do not think that acknowledging the existence of evil is the same as "accepting and giving in to it."
Ok, nor do I. Now I think I get where you were coming from before - thanks for clarifying.
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Old 06-11-2009, 01:16 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,540,710 times
Reputation: 18301
Face iot their are just some people that can handle life;others that are evil and other that are just a burben to socirty. The only difference between now and the past is that the people who couldn't handel life diedform satrvation or ther problem;the evil perosn was put to death and thew people that were a burden alos starved or got motivated.You don't have to do anything much to survive these days and society is too busy trying rehablitate the others.Society refuses to decide when is enough ;enough for a indivdualk and it not only encourages others ;it make decent people suffer or lose their life.
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Old 06-11-2009, 01:17 PM
 
1,048 posts, read 2,379,728 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pandamonium View Post
And the white supremecy movement is growing.
I've heard the exact opposite, and since my experiences jibe with that (and I live in the South), I'd have to say that's incorrect.
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Old 06-11-2009, 01:43 PM
 
3,562 posts, read 5,206,954 times
Reputation: 1861
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Worley View Post
I've heard the exact opposite, and since my experiences jibe with that (and I live in the South), I'd have to say that's incorrect.

Whoops, and forgot about the Black Separatists. You guys are so silly, you act like the only place racism exists is in the South. But here you go,

Quote:
Last year, 926 hate groups were active in the U.S., up more than 4% from 888 in 2007. That's more than a 50% increase since 2000, when there were 602 groups
SPLCenter.org: The Year in Hate
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