Following last week’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., student David Hogg was interviewed by a national news media source.
Hogg, 17, had survived behind the locked doors of a classroom. Some of his what he said seems noble and compelling on the surface, but actually rings somewhat hollow.
“What I wish people would know is that this is something that people cannot get used to,” Hogg said. “This is something we can’t let keep happening. Because if we do and we get used to it, it’s going to happen again. This is a time for our country to take a look in the mirror and realize there is a serious issue here.”
Sorry, son, but that ship has sailed. It’s surely going to happen again and people are used to it.
And as I’ve said many times before, things are unfortunately going to get worse – much worse – and what we’re “used to” in the future will make what we’re currently used to look like a walk in the park. And as I’ve pointed out many times before, that’s not just me yammering to have something “sensational” to write about, it’s Biblical.
There are several passages in God’s Word that tell us things like how man’s hearts will “wax colder,” that bad will be considered good and that people won’t want to hear about what’s right, but be attracted to things that make them feel how they feel like feeling. Those scriptures are easy to find, so I’m not going to put names of the books and verses where they lie; just look ’em up if you want.
But the fact is, the state of man’s world is reflecting that type of deterioration and degradation, and there’s nothing on the way but further decline. And not surprisingly, each passing catastrophic incident is met with decreased shock and amazement, and people generally give TV coverage of said incidents far less attention nowadays than not that long ago.
But really, that makes perfect sense. Who wouldn’t rather watch American ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin zoom down a snow-covered mountain in South Korea instead of coverage of the latest shooting tragedy? Heck, we only have the chance to see an Olympic giant slalom race every four years, but we all know there will be another massacre in a matter of weeks.
Sorry Mr. Hogg, we’re pretty much numb now and definitely “used to it.”
During a press conference about the Parkland shooting, Broward County (Fla.) Sheriff Scott Israel spoke about being on the lookout for “copycat” criminals. I believe he was right in doing that, and I also believe we’ve clearly entered the copycat era since this stuff is now so common.
Man, how weird (and awful) is that?
Anyway, while I found Hogg’s plea to society kind of sad, I guess it’s part of the process. People still want to hope that mankind will “come together in love,” and many cling to a belief that they can do or say something that’s going to change the way people behave.
But short of a huge worldwide extermination of billions of people (and don’t start thinking that’s completely out of the realm of possibility), there’s probably nothing that can be done to in terms of a big, sweeping behavioral change, and the best thing anyone can do is recognize it’s all part of a sovereign God’s enigmatic – but perfect – plan.
Nope, this isn’t a gun problem, and it’s not about inadequate law enforcement or building security. This is simply a people problem, and one that can’t be steered in any direction away from the path it’s headed, because it’s part of what’s destined (and written) to take place.
The bottom line: There’s no turning back and we ain’t seen nothin’ yet. But if we just put our trust in God, we have nothing to worry about.
Wow, think about that.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
