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.
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Very true, Kathi. And as I read what you wrote, another perspective came to mind. Maybe they believed the stuff was needed in order to be loved.
ReplyDeleteMaybe some of the people were worried about getting the low cost 54" plasma TV's so that they could please their families and appear successful to their friends.
When such a desired status symbol as a new 54" plasma TV, the source of nearly all entertainment and escape for many low income families, became suddenly attainable at the low cost, some of the people there had a chance to get their 'piece of the pie' after being inundated with the images of wealth and success in music videos, etc. where the material world of status is touted.
Wanting to be a somebody to their wife, children and friends, I imagine there was enormous pressure for some in the crowd to 'compete' and 'bring home the trophy', something that had been unattainable until now, and limited in availability bringing out all of the competitive animal instincts.
Yes, Lord please maintain our economic system, because if things start to break down, people who define themselves as anything other than the children of God will be out there taking what they need and providing for the ones they love at the expense of everyone else, and particularly anyone who gets in their way when trying to give themselves and theirs what they 'need'.
The enemy ran amock in a crowd of people, reduced to violent animal natures when their drive to acquire something that gives them power and prestige and what they consider love and makes them feel good about themselves finally came within reach.
They became crazed in the moment that it was almost within grasp but frustrated, in a life where they do not have power and prestige and the love they need and do not feel good about themselves.
Nobody wanted to go home without the prize, which would reaffirm their nobodyness, with the disappointment of their family leading to a withdrawal of what little love they had. I can imagine that some people got impatient and desperate as they felt the competitive pressure mounting and it was suddenly on the line for them...
Once you light a match to that tinderbox, it will become a wildfire in a heartbeat. The enemy will sweep through the crowd inciting riot as people get swept up and focused only on their need, and all their pent up anger and hurt bursts to the surface in justification to aggressively take what they must have in order to get what they need to survive in a dark and lost world...
Bryn