“Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
“Mankind must evolve for all human
conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
by Ben Howard
If you've been following the news at all for the last few months you'll be familiar with the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State. There is no defense for the actions committed by Sandusky or for the coverup allegedly perpetrated by Penn State officials including head coach Joe Paterno. It is nothing less than a tragedy and it should be recognized as such.
If you've been following the news at all for the last few months you'll be familiar with the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State. There is no defense for the actions committed by Sandusky or for the coverup allegedly perpetrated by Penn State officials including head coach Joe Paterno. It is nothing less than a tragedy and it should be recognized as such.
It's only natural in circumstances like
these to feel a profound sense of injustice. Even if the perpetrators
are punished to the fullest extent of the law it will seem a hollow
victory. The crimes in question are too horrific, the violation of
trust too deep and too painful. The emotion of the crime and
subsequent coverup overwhelms the limits of punitive justice and it
isn't fair, it won't be.
In this search for an elusive justice
and a sense of catharsis it becomes easier and easier to embrace hate
and assign blame. In the Penn State scandal in particular there is no
shortage of possible villains, yet in this hunt for retribution we,
as a society, run the risk of dehumanizing those we condemn.
We hope to find peace in destruction.
We hope to find release in revenge and retaliation. Maybe if one more
person is held responsible, maybe if one more lawsuit is filed, maybe
if one person serves time behind bars, it will somehow fill the void.
I fear, however, that all they bring us is the emptiness that comes
from trying to fill the hole of our injustice with the pain and
sorrow of others.
I don't know what to say to the
victims. I can't begin to understand the pain, isolation, confusion
and frustration that comes with something as horrific as this. I
can't say it'll all be better. It's senseless and brutal and wrong
and I do not know what will make it better. I can only pray that with
love and time redemption is possible in all things.
I pray the same thing for those
responsible. I can't begin to understand the reasons for such
actions, but to quote one of my favorite songs, “Not to undermine
the consequence, but you are not what you do.” The divine spark
still exists and God is a God of redemption and hope in the midst of
the depths.
I pray for reconciliation and
redemption, for love and the ability to heal, for peace and for hope.
Peace,
Ben
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@BenHoward87, email me or just leave a comment.