Yesterday’s post put the horrific events in Arizona out on the blog. Even mentioning this is so different from the usual atmosphere of this blog, but it’s something that really can’t be ignored.

We are living in difficult times, and I do think that’s one of the reasons people are reading more–to find themselves in another environment where things have a pretty good chance of turning out better.

My big problem with what everyone is saying about what caused this latest horror is that the shooter or shooters if they do find out it was more than one, was mentally unbalanced. Anyone who would shoot into a crowd and not care about who was killed, is not right in the head. That’s all there is to it. What do we do about it? I haven’t a clue.

Because a person who is crazy doesn’t act normal and is usually not a comfortable person to be around, even family members shy away. No doubt there were plenty of signs that trouble was brewing with this man or men–but no one was brave enough to try and do anything about it.

Think back to the Columbine shooting, the parents of those boys professed that they knew nothing. Of course they knew something wasn’t right, but they didn’t really want to know the truth. Teachers and their fellow students had to know that these kids had problems–but instead they were ignored and probably shunned for being different when they needed serious help.

You can blame it on politics or any number of things, but the real truth is there are people in this world who aren’t right. Years ago, they were put into institutions. Now a person who is mentally ill has rights, the option to take or not take his medication, the option to live on the streets if he’s too deranged to hold a job. We see someone like that and we walk past with our eyes turned away.

In a perfect world, someone would intervene. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world. I have no answers, but it’s too easy to blame what happened on someone else–politics, politicians, talk show hosts, news people–I don’t think that’s where the blame belongs. It belongs with all of us who do not pay attention to the people around us, who aren’t willing to notice when things are going wrong with our friends and relatives.

It is a tough world and it’ll probably get tougher.

I know this wasn’t helpful, but it’s how I feel.

Marilyn