I saw an article today that caused me to question everything. A man filmed himself raping the corpse of a five-year-old girl that he had murdered. There are no words to describe how I feel.
But there’s a trick I do when I read things like this, a trick that seems uncommon to many but is unique in the make-up of the weirdos who go into psychology. As all of the horror and rage welled up inside of me, I looked beyond the details and dared to ask, “Why?” Why would someone do such a thing?
I can’t judge this man. I can’t judge his actions. If convicted, then what happened was the definition of evil. But whence came that evil? Why does it roost in some and take flight from others? What has to happen to someone to cause this kind of behavior?
So often on social media, someone will insist we not acknowledge a murderer by name. “Don’t say his name,” they chide. “Say the names of the victims!” Well, sweet-pea, I can’t afford that luxury. I can’t shove my head in the sand for the sake of your feelings because your feelings won’t solve the problem. Willful ignorance is the definition of stupidity and we live in a very stupid world, it would seem. I must look at the awful deed and the person who committed it and see them as a human being, try to understand their life experiences, and dig into what causes this kind of behavior because if that isn’t done, it’ll happen again. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, if we don’t look at what we don’t want to see, it will happen again.
The mantra against monstrosity is “There but for the grace of God go I.” The remedy to the problem is to look and dare ask why.
My Job Is Scaring You 