Death and Dishonor

In a small town near Orland, Florida a young man died from a gunshot wound. His death went unnoticed by most and as his family mourned, trying to console themselves, confusion rippled quietly through the community.

Because of the actions of another, Trayvon Martin will never graduate high school, or see his little brother grow up. He’ll never marry and become a father. His parents have been denied the chance to see him grow into the man they knew he could be.

And we have all lost a member of our community.

That night in February, driven by emotions and adrenaline, a man took the life of another. He walked away bruised and shaken, but now wearing the eternal weight of knowing he is responsible for the death of a child.

Because of his actions, George Zimmerman has lost himself to the ensuing outcry. Labeled and judged by the public, he is no longer the captain of his ship as the world will now determine his fate as his life plays out on the world stage.

His family may also lose a son when these events have played themselves out. His future now destroyed by a quick decision made in the past...and life for him and his loved ones will never be the same again.

I will not speculate on what happened that night, nor will I offer an opinion on what I think should happen in the future because my opinion on this case doesn’t matter. My voice will not change the momentum or direction of this tragedy one way or another.

What I want to speak about is our national reaction...the communal tragedy that has played out in the 24-hour news, the social media, and via amateur commentators. As the Martin and Zimmerman families cry out for justice and pray for understanding, the rest of us are exhorting our own ideas of an event that we did not witness.

We stew in conjecture and play at being lawyers, spewing rhetoric based on questionable logic. Watching a few seasons of CSI has turned everyone into forensic experts capable of analyzing 911 tapes via the radio. We Trust “sources” that support our biases because we are unable to believe that which is counter to what we have already decided.

This is the way of the mind as we seek to quiet the heart and slowly remove the humanity from this very human tragedy.

A child has been shot and killed. No matter what else we think, we should never forget that.

As many push forth their beliefs they twist the media image of these two lives to fit their own perceptions. Because our thoughts decide our actions and form our reality, I wish we would spend more time trying to understand the truth behind our own beliefs before we set out to convince others of our superiority.

Has our sense of right and wrong been so twisted by adherence to some ideology that we have a compulsion to claim knowledge we do not possess? Has our need to be correct at all costs superseded the need to see what is really happening?

Have we forgotten that the loss of human life is a tragedy beyond all others? Have we forgotten that no amount of twisted logic, no amount of politicizing can ever rebuild the lives forever broken and lost?

Have we forgotten that life is a precious gift and its ending is a loss for everything that will never be?

I know what my beliefs are grounded upon: the truth that all humans are equal, no exceptions.

Yes, I am aware that some will try to claim that equal means “same”, but let’s ignore the little minds who want to debate semantics and focus on what I’m saying...equal means we all have the right to live without being judged by the color of our skin, our faith, or our gender.

That right was taken from Trayvon, and shame on us for not working harder to build a culture of acceptance and safety for all people. Life was taken from Trayvon that night, and for that I mourn.

A life was unnecessarily lost in a small town outside of Orlando. A human heart ceased to beat and a family’s heart will never heal, as two families will forever be tainted and torn apart by the actions of one.

I don’t care what about your opinion of the events, or how certain you claim to be of the legal ramifications of that night. What I care about is remembering that this death is a tragedy and it is now time to come together and ensure it does not happen again.

Let Trayvon’s death show us the steps that need to be undertaken for peace in our neighborhoods and the chasms that need to be healed within our nation. Let us honor this young man by remembering our own humanity.