Tuesday , March 19 2024
Mark my words and take no heart in them.

United States: Stop What You’re Doing, Look at What You’ve Done in Aurora, Colorado

It would be crazy to think of putting yourself in the shoes of the man who killed and wounded so many in Aurora, Colorado. Do it anyway. It would be crazy to think of yourself as the parent of someone who, just a few days ago, was seeking a Ph.D. in neuroscience, but is today looking at life in prison. Do it anyway. It would be crazy to think anyone besides James Holmes had anything to do with what happened. After all, he made the choices and the decisions. Do it anyway.

Someone, somewhere at some point knew something was going to happen and didn’t report it. Mark my words and take no heart in them: Someone is going to speak to reporters about what they knew, and no one, not a single person, is going to call them the hell out: “Why on Earth didn’t you say something, anything?” What were they thinking? “No harm, no foul”? “It’s not my business”?

This was not the work of the devil, and no, you and yours weren’t spared because of God’s will, divine intervention, or some such shit. If that were true, what in the hell would you say if you came face to face with one of the victims’ families? “Sorry ’bout your luck”? What kind of sorry excuse for a human being would you have to be to say such a thing to anyone whose child, whose friend, whose loved one was just murdered?

As I have written numerous times to no avail, will you please finally, this time, this instance, this number of deaths, this number of critically injured, will you please for the love of all that is sacred, just read what I’ve written and do what I tell you to do. Will you not take notes, pass them ’round, make your friends and family aware? Will you not shame them and yourself for not telling what you know?

What’s the big freaking deal? Seriously – take the hit, put yourself out, be uncomfortable, be tentative, be whatever the hell it is you are and how ever you feel and do it anyway. Tell someone in authority what is going on with someone you know. Give this person you know, however detached you may feel from them, give them the knowledge they need; give the authorities a heads-up (911); share what you know with someone who has, perhaps, more spine and balls than you have, but whatever you do don’t keep that shit to yourself!

Do you think the young man who killed all those people in Aurora wasn’t suicidal? Then you’re insane yourself. Of course he was suicidal. He wasn’t looking to be captured; he was looking to be killed. Sucks for him big time that he was caught first. Sucks even more that someone knew he was in trouble and kept their otherwise big mouths shut.

Stop ignoring young adults’ problems before a tragedy. Stop blaming the devil afterward. Stop what you’re doing and look at what you’ve done. If you’ve ever ignored someone in need, shame on you in so many ways. Shame on you that you get to live while others have died and suffered for life because of your silence. Shame on you that someone who needed your help went without because you didn’t think it was your job, your responsibility, your anonymous call to make.

Tragedy, thy name is you.

Help, thy number is 1-800-273-TALK

About Diana Hartman

Diana is a USMC (ret.) spouse, mother of three and a Wichita, Kansas native. She is back in the United States after 10 years in Germany. She is a contributing author to Holiday Writes. She hates liver & motivational speakers. She loves science & naps.

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