I know that the horror I felt on Monday night, watching the news
unfold, will fade. The images will blur around the edges, the facts become
murky, the way a pond darkens as autumn leaves fall on its surface, then sink,
rotting, to the bottom.
After all, what can I recall of Newtown?
I have hardened. I don’t like this quality, but I think it is part of
human hardwiring, part of the armor which lets us survive. It is how we humans
are evolving. In 100 years, or sooner, we will be a species with dexterous
thumbs and a missing empathy gene.
After living half a decade I can discern good from evil, hopeful from
hopefulness. But my children cannot, or at least not so well, and I can only imagine
how the continued onslaught of horrible and ugly and villainous and tragic
affects them. It makes me wonder if the decrease in our mental health--and the
increase of our drinking and drugging and gunning—is our Darwinian desire to
not feel the pain. Peace...
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A great deal to ponder in your piece, Linda. Very well written and heart felt.
ReplyDeleteI, too, wonder about the youth, but I see in them the same hope, love and optimism that has always defined the best of being human, and know they will find a way to overcome the madness. It makes me very sad though, that their innocence is blown away by some misguided angry person. One thing I try to do is help them focus on our world's natural beauty. It is a constant in these crazy times. ((hugs all around))
I do hope you are wrong about our atrophying empathy gene, but fear otherwise. And without it, are we still human? I don't believe so, I think we will lose much that is good along with it.
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