Yesterday saw yet another incident of senseless killing. This time it was a college. Other times, it's been a high school, a mall or another public place. Why does this keep happening?
Is it the gun culture? Maybe a little. Is it the culture of violence? That's part of it. Is it the glorification of war as a solution to every problem? That could be part of it.
But other countries have guns. Other countries have violence. What's the difference between them and us? The difference is that our culture doesn't believe in second chances.
You made some bad financial decisions when you were in college? Too bad. No bankruptcy for you. You'll spend the rest of your life trying to scrape by while you work to pay off that debt.
You and a couple of friends committed a crime in a moment of poor judgment when you were 19? It's on your record forever. Good luck getting a job, even when you're 35.
You mouthed off to a teacher in high school during a moment of childish pique? It's on your permanent record. Forget about getting into a good university.
You had a bad semester in college and you failed a class? There go your scholarships. There goes your education. There goes your hope of a career.
You burned out at work and got fired? You have to disclose that firing to potential employers, and they have no reason to hire you when there are dozens of other candidates who've never been fired.
Not only does America lack a social safety net, it lacks any way for most people to atone for previous mistakes and get a fresh start on life. One mistake is all it takes to ruin the rest of a person's life. When people are held to such a standard of perfection, is it any surprise that some of them want to put an end to it all and take others with them?
It didn't used to be this way. Before the days of data banks and computerized tracking, it was possible to move on and start a new life. Some bad people used this to evil ends, but many others reformed their lives and were able to use their second chance as a way to have some hope for the future.
Not everyone deserves a second chance and not everything can be forgiven. But in a culture that demands perfection and that scoffs at the idea of rehabilitation, is it any surprise that some people choose to go out with a bang?
(ObDisclaimer: I have never experienced any of the problems mentioned in this diary. This is based on observation and not on personal experience.)