Human Decency

It comes to me that the media, all of them do not care about the Martin family. They are invasive, shallow, self-serving and interested in ratings only. they are like vultures. Any of them who have lost a family member to homicide understand the pain involved. They are without empathy. Or compassion which come from the Latin compassionem meaning to feel with.


As for the political ghouls who are feeding on the situation, in the words of Red from the Shawshank Redemption, "You gotta be human first."

I know a bit about this as I have lost a family member to homicide. It was beyond belief. I did not know how cruel the world could be. The lights of childhood went out for me and have never been rekindled. It was as if God left my life. I could not understand how it happened. Still can't. We cannot make sense of the taking of a human life.  He was the first person I knew who died and a central figure in my life. There is more to the story as to how it happened but this is not about my family member. It is about the effect on a family.

I think the lights went out in the lives of my sisters and my brother in some fashion too. There is no grief like that of someone who assumes all is well with the world only to have the horrendous news broken to them. It is like being sucker punched. I had trouble breathing and the sorrow washed over me like a tidal wave, covering my existence and that of my siblings.

All of this is to say I have a pretty good idea how the Martin family feels. No court can give them back their son. No amount of money will bring him back. The idea of wrongful death suits is disgusting: a jury decides the value of a human life? The next question becomes "How Much For Your Family Member?"  And what would one do with any settlement money.

 As I was a child at the time I was shielded by a loving family. The gory details came to me later. It wounded my family in a fashion that I cannot describe.

Nobody can get even. Nobody. You cannot punish anyone enough. Getting even is venom which, if indulged in, expands exponentially. It never makes homicide go away: whom ever you love is still beyond your reach. 

The Zimmerman family has a full plate. George has to live with the fact that he killed a teenager. If he has any humanity it will eat his lunch. He has the rest of his life to work this out. He cannot escape the consequences of his actions. I am not talking about death threats: I can assure you we will all die at some point. I am speaking here about that jerk that runs through his body as he is just about to slide into sleep. I am talking about thinking about this when he doesn't want to. The shudder when he is walking to the garage that ambushes him and his wife asks what's wrong and he says "Nothing".

I had an awakening when talking to my father near the end of his life. Here is the direct quote from my father.


"There were lots of things that I didn't get caught for but I never got away with anything."

This also applies to George Zimmerman. And to me.  And maybe to you.




SAY YER PRAYERS!
The Rev.