Have You Heard the News?!

Just a little over two weeks ago a mob of “out of control” shoppers trampled a Walmart employee to death and it’s haunted me ever since.

Come on, now! This wasn’t an act of cruelty committed by an enraged young man considered to be a casualty of society, or the random act of a frantic woman full of fear and revenge. This was a mob of everyday people. People we meet in elevators and grocery stores and doctor’s offices.

But we hear about it and shake our heads in helpless dismay, hoping we’ll forget about it before actually having to consider the ramifications of such unbridled violence – much like we do when hearing about the plight of the poor or the rising number of suicides.

Was it just an overpowering desire for bargains – an accidental act of insanity – that turned these Christmas shoppers into stampeding savages?

Absolutely not! It’s disgraceful and despicable, but when asked to leave, this corrupt crowd had the audacity to complain that they had been in line since Thursday morning!

It’s clear. When “stuff” becomes more valuable to us than people, we’re downright dangerous.

And I believe that if we don’t wake up and smell the coffee, we’re going to see more and more unthinkable crimes committed around us that we never even believed possible.

It is crucial that we consider the implications of this horrendous event. It’s not as if these people were running for their lives from the onslaught of some enemy army or waiting in line for food because they hadn’t had any for days. What if? That’s my question – what if? Do we have any idea what might happen in more serious circumstances?

Could it be that this disturbing, deadly incident reveals that we have forgotten the most fundamental issue of life – our relationship to one another?

How important is that? We all know how much we long to be loved. And even science has proven that those who have meaningful connections with others are far more happy and healthy than those who don’t. But when “stuff” becomes more valuable to us than people, we’re downright dangerous! When we allow money and possessions to take precedence over people, we become evil. And we cannot blame such hostile aggression on “the Grinch”, our spiraling economy or even the violent videos and games we’re entertained by.

We need to look inside ourselves and see what’s going on, but we’re so disconnected from our hearts and one another we can’t see how off-track we are!

This is where I believe the problem lies. If others don’t value us, we don’t value ourselves. When we don’t value ourselves, we don’t value others. Hence, a vicious cycle is sustained that produces heartless human beings who are able crush a man to death without feeling any remorse.

I wonder…how will those Christmas shoppers feel as they give away the gifts that they bought, even though a man died due to their reckless heartlessness.

Christmas, hmmmm...the One born in a stable became the Man who died on a cross because of Love.

Let’s be found following in His footsteps – not destroying one another in pursuit of that which will only fade away.