As the message for this week has taken its final shape this morning and a new magazine article get’s its first scribbled notes, it is crushing to bear witness to the depths of hatred and violence that we so cheaply visit upon one another. I am a few days past the apogee of this story but it is so devastatingly apparent how little regard we have for others simply as human beings that you cannot help but be profoundly saddened for all of the participants in this flame out.
I won’t link to the video because it is coarse and debased and I don’t want to contribute any further to the humiliation of the two main role players. I’m sure if you are interested you can find it on YouTube. The scenario is as old as time; man and woman fall out of love, perhaps triggered by unfaithfulness on one or the other’s part, and they break up. Except the young man felt the need to gather hundreds of people in a public arena, notify film crews, hire a all female choir to add background ooh’s and ah’s, and then deceive the young woman into meeting him in the middle of this chaos to receive a ‘surprise’ that he has for her. As the singers wind down the last choruses of Not Ready to Make Nice, the young man confronts the oblivious woman with his accusation of unfaithfulness. The debasement of humanity is just beginning.
Sex and love have been so cheapened between these two people that the accusation is met with justification, supported by her needs. She then trades equally vicious accusations with him during which he admits to a tryst with a confidante of hers. Lest we forget, this entire scene is played out in the circus maximus environment created by the wall of people who are cheering this horror show on. All the while, the choir adds Michael Anthony high harmonies to the proceeding.
Is this what we’ve become? Have we so devalued one another that there is nothing that we can find worthy of our respect. Even if we subtract the misjudgment of the man and the cheap sexuality of the woman, what are we to think of everybody else involved in this. Ten or more women in the vocal group contributed to the humiliation of the unknowing coed. Not one of them said no, let’s shield her instead? Their God given talents aside, not one of them saw the indecency of their actions?
What about the circle surrounding the ‘pit’? Not one of these people turns away from the destruction of life they see before them. No one steps in and says to the man and woman that this is not appropriate. No one walks away or tries to prevent the man from carrying out his attack. No! Quite the opposite. The circle closes in and there are shouts to up the volume so that not a single crude expression is missed by the onlookers, many of who are filming and photographing the episode for posterity.
What has happened to this world? We have invented thousands of ways to kill each other, cheapened and pornified sex, and have reduced the most basic human instinct to bond with one another to the same thought that we give our choice of bathroom tissue.
If you’ve read this far you’ve probably formed one of two opinions about me. Either I’m hopelessly soft and gentle and prone to taking the ills of the world personally or that I need to get tough and put away my pollyannaish ideas that we shouldn’t treat each other this way. In reality, I hope its the former and that I continue to become more so. Maybe you can join me…
Love. Accept. Forgive.
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 