Live in Peace, for All of Us Survivors of Aurora, CO

Rest in Peace to the victims of the horrific massacre in Aurora, Colorado.  My sincere condolences to their families and loved ones.

This is the crucial moment, in the age of 24/7 news and the myth of U.S. exceptional-ism, that we have to remember not to over react.  Your life is always within nano-seconds of ending, with you having absolutely no control over it.  Don’t feel overly anxious.  Use this moment to realize how pointless that angst is, because it would not have saved a single victim.  Don’t change your plans to go see your favorite entertainment.  Use this moment to remember that you must live every moment to it’s fullest.  Don’t fall for the myth that mass violence is a new phenomenon, a sign of the fall of man or the end times.  Use this moment to remind yourself that in a world that has always had mass murder, and lynchings and genocide, love and peace has still survived.  Don’t slide into the lie that the this sociopath was inspired by the sociopaths in comic books.  Instead realize the truth that the sociopaths in comic books are inspired by real life.

Some in the news are already analyzing the massacre as a gun law issue, playing up the fear that Americans are armed to the teeth.  But this man shot 71 people in a crowded multi-plex theater of probably more than a thousand, and NO ONE returned fire.  Americans aren’t as armed and dangerous as we want to think.   The vast majority of us just want to love those around us, and bond over common stories and experiences.  This was a sociopath.  He would have found any tool, during any time period, to have done this act of terrorism.  Making it about guns would be smoke fighting, not fire fighting. We, as U.S. citizens, should not be so arrogant to think we deserve more from our creator than what happens in Syria all day, every day.  Mass murder is sporadic, and horrific… and normal.

Hug your friends and family and tell them you love them, don’t assume you’ll get another chance.  Make sure you don’t use this incident to add to your worries.  Yes, life is fragile and can be taken at any moment, but that happens whether you worry about it or not.  I have a lot of life to get in before that moment happens, so I’m going to see one of my favorite mythological characters in a movie tonight.  I’m going to note where the emergency exits are, like I always do, and not spend a moment more worrying.  Even if we can’t find it physically, we should all mentally Live in Peace.