MCNAIR ACADEMY
Heroic actions show how we all should be
I would like to address this to Antoinette Tuff.
I do not know you. There are likely many things about you and I which are very different, but likely, some things we have in common. I am a middle-aged white man, a father of two, a university professor and a Quaker. I have many beliefs and ideas about how I want my children to be in the world, and how I want to be in the world. It is often a struggle to be the person I want to be, to turn faith into action.
But as I read and then watched interviews of your account of your experience, I wept. You saw a man who was undeniably scary, dangerous and violent, but you also saw someone worthy of empathy and love. You made yourself vulnerable and connected with that inner light of God — of humanity in each of us.
By your strength, beauty and humility, you saved so many from unimaginable loss. By your actions, you saved the life of a troubled young man. By your actions, you show us all a way to be in the world.
Thank you.
MICHAEL KRAMER, ATLANTA
JOGGER SHOOTING
Hateful beliefs lead to senseless killing
It is quite upsetting that an Australian man was shot to death in Oklahoma for no reason. The teens accused of committing this senseless crime reportedly did so because they were “bored.”
As far as teen violence is concerned, some people blame the community, while others say it is a gun-related issue. To me, violence is directly related to hate. Hateful beliefs allow humans to be dehumanized.
We need to teach our youth that every human life has been created by God and possesses special dignity. To end an innocent life is not only an injustice to humanity, but to God as well. May God elevate the status of the victim, and help his family to bear this loss.
ATTIYA GHANI, LAWRENCEVILLE
To kill if we feel like it — that’s pathological
I was reading about three teenagers accused of killing an innocent athlete while he was jogging. Why? Because they were bored. This suggests something terribly wrong in this country.
There is a deep pathology that runs through our society. Our methodology for solving problems is armament — the one with the biggest gun wins.
We no longer nurture a mentality of peaceful resolution. Rather than discussing issues to reach a compromise, we just kill if we feel like it. I don’t know if this is a reflection of our foreign policy, or (maybe) our military might, but we have gotten off the path of righteousness.
Australians love their guns just as much as Americans, yet their gun-related killings rank among the lowest in the developed world. I think the numbers speak for themselves. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for allowing this to happen.
DONALD VARN, CONYERS
