Go Ahead and Fire

It is easy to abandon my principles in such a time as this. I could deep down believe in loving all people, but vehemently hate instead. Such a lie I refuse to tell. In light of the recent Orlando shootings,  I hope that others will learn to love perpetrator and victim alike the way I (at least attempt to) do.  Shooters are human. They have needs, motivations, dreams, lives, and (gasp) morals like the rest of us. (Granted, those morals are often warped, but they are morals nonetheless.)

There is no way to justify these actions, but these people are not just violent rage machines planted throughout the world like android time bombs. As abhorrent as murder is, I find reactions to it to be just as bad. Victims need compassion, but perpetrators need it just as much, if not more. They are the ones going back to their lives (in most cases) with a cloud of regret, a tarnished reputation, and the same loneliness that likely motivated them to turn to the gun in the first place.

I do not think murdering other people by any stretch of the word is a valid way to resolve feelings. Even wishing death on others for a split second is murder by the moral definition of the word.  By that standard, I am guilty of such a crime a thousand times over. I do not wish death on the Orlando shooters, not even retribution of some kind. I wish them forgiveness and a change of heart. God calls us to love our enemies, something I personally struggle with.

But I choose it. I choose love, no matter if anyone deserves it or not. I choose, not just the love of a friendly hug or a knowing glance, but the kind of radical love that transcends all others: agape. I choose agape in all circumstances. That means I empathize with and display compassion to everyone, not just people who deserve it. I doubt that the last thoughts of victims were spite directed at the shooters, but concern for the ones they left behind.

Choosing what is right is not always easy or popular. Then again, what is easy or popular is rarely right. I considered rallying alongside victims calling perpetrators "monsters" and disregarding their humanity altogether. It would have been popular, convenient, and even partially right. However, since I believe in seeing things from all sides, it would have violated my principles to do so. You have the right to disagree with me and call me a radical. You know what? Call me that. I am proud to be a radical.

Now that you all have your verbal guns, go ahead and fire. I have nothing to lose. I won't even dodge or try to protect myself. Have at it. Go ahead and fire. I won't care in the least.