(Warning: this post discusses the terror attack on London Bridge and related issues)
Sometimes, when one bad news story follows another, when one terrible event after another plays out on our screens, you can get the feeling that the words no longer have meaning.
But the words have meaning if you give them meaning.
London Bridge was an act of hate by someone who had previously shown themselves to be hateful - who had served their time for planning terrorist attacks and training camps.
But that doesn't mean parole, bail, license, is a bad thing.
Not everyone who makes a mistake will fail to learn from it.
People are people, dearest nerdlets. People are people.
Just as one ex-offender fails to change his ways, another saves so many lives.
The London Bridge attacker was held back and disarmed by a convicted murderer on day release, a guy with a fire extinguisher, and a Polish kitchen-worker named Łukasz who grabbed a narwhal tusk off the wall.
And the family of Amanda Champion are well within their rights to feel all sorts of ways about the fact that her killer was on day-release, and saved who-knows-how-many lives.
Lord knows, it won't bring her back.
But there are other families who have been spared that grief.
Two people were killed. Several were injured (and I wish them all the best and a speedy recovery.)
But it could have been so much worse.
Rehabilitation is possible.
Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones believed in it.
No, not everyone is going to be a reformed character.
That's simply the way it is. But I'm in favour of helping people, of encouraging ex-cons to live, not just exist.
I'm in favour of love and a helping hand. Every time.
Last updated: 18th March 2020
This was all very shocking for me because I was literally there a month ago. It really puts everything into perspective.
ReplyDelete*hugs* It's awful - but it's not a reason to give up on people! <3
DeleteYou're absolutely right here. We can't slam the door on everyone who does something bad. Many turn their lives around and become wonderful additions to our society, not that their contributions get the same level of publicity though. Wouldn't it be so much nicer if the mainstream media focused on good actions instead of perpetually chasing the disaster tales?
ReplyDeleteSadly, the human race is designed to pay more attention to the bad than the good - it comes from a time when ignoring the bad meant you might get eaten by something big with pointy teeth ;)
DeleteSo true, though. People *can* do good, even if they've done bad in the past.
This is a tough topic. Yes, this is an example of someone that did something wrong then doing something good However, as you said, that doesn't erase what he did and unfortunately doesn't mean he is reformed either. He may have saved many lives but he may still take some. People are people as you said. Great post
ReplyDelete'He may still take some' ...mmmm, maybe I have more faith in humanity than I should, but I feel like people are capable of good if you *allow* them to be capable of good. And rehabilitation and edication have been shown again and again to reduce the risk of re-offending.
DeleteIt won't bring Amanda Champion back, but then, nothing will. Isn't it better that her killer make a positive contribution to society than be left in prison, at cost to the proverbial tax-payer, with no hope or incentive to change?
I think that people *deserve* the *oppurtunity* to do good, to be happy (yes, even a lot of convicted murderers, although I know a lot of people would disagree with me,) and to turn their lives around.