The event itself was horrendous and unimaginable ... as details have emerged it has moved from bad to worse ... The death of Timothy McLean was a tragedy of immeasurable proportions ... but the media feeding frenzy around the trial that wraps up today in Winnipeg has served no one ...The family's push for "Tim's Law" is reactive and would serve no one, particularly those who have experienced mental illness ...
I can't help but wonder if Gandhi's counsel - "an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind" is apt in the face of the coverage ...
Those fellow passengers traumatized by the events on the bus need help to move to wholeness ... the family of the victim are deserving of our respect and care in their profound grief ... and the perpetrator is worthy and in desperate need of support, healing and HELP too!!
The unfortunate thing now is that the lawyers are swirling like sharks in a feeding frenzy ... they are ALL talking about the MONEY ... and no one is talking about JUSTICE, WHOLENESS or WELL BEING ... all things that can not be bought nor sold ...
My feelings on this are guided by the experience of a wonderful man I knew once who was a father, a grandfather and a respected member of his community ... then one day he began hearing voices telling him to do all manner of horrible things ... his life began a spiral even with the love and support of his family ... and things just fell apart. Mental illness is a horrible thing ... and those who suffer and experience it need help and that help will never come, nor be adequate until we lift the stigma ...
Like Scott Peck said in his book "Road Less Traveled" - if we break our leg we go to the hospital and get help, but if we have a mental breakdown, we hide away ..."
The problem in that moment lies in our society - NOT in the person suffering from Mental Illness ... it is time to lift the stigma, NOT deepen it ...
I hope the media is listening ... though I doubt it ...
1 comment:
I read and re-read this post, and I gained a different perspective from it. However, what if......
What if you were the parent of the slain, cannibalized child, what if he had walked around with your daughters' head in his hand, her ear in his pocket? I imagine the grief would be unbearable, and under those circumstances you would likely feel differently.
The sad fact is that the justice system in our great nation is pathetic. It might be different if an offender actually served their sentence, or got the help they needed, but the reality is, they don't. How many rapists, child molesters and murderers walk free in only a matter of a couple of years (if that)? And how many of those, in turn, re-offend? Too many! Over and over it happens, and another child or person is attacked or molested, and the question is raised... Why was he/she out of custody anyway? The answer... because the system fails us all and also because unfortunately, offenders have convinced a doctor, judge, a panel, a parole board that they are rehabilitated, they're sorry, they have turned their lives around and can be productive members of society.. Too often their own illness convinces they, themselves and others that they are better..
I have no doubt that if in time, we happened to find ourselves sitting next to Li in a coffee shop, unaware of who he was, we could probably strike up a conversation and think he was a normal, "decent" guy. I have no doubt that his doctor is accurate in saying that he is deemed normal and okay now that he is on the proper medication. BUT, and this is the big one...
Who is going to accompany him on his journey of continued wellness? Who will stay with him at home, at his job, on his way to the store, every day of his life making sure his medication is regulated? What happens to him, what will the "voices" tell him when he forgets to take his medication, or he can't afford it, so he skips it... Then what?
The reality is that in most instances these things cannot be controlled outside the walls of an institution. Think about how ironic it is (maybe ironic isn't the right term), that you yourself were forced from a job, convicted (in a sense) of crimes that you didn't commit, and sentenced to therapy and rehabilitation services without a chance to return to your life as you knew it.. And YOUR term of indictment far outweighs that of Li! My God, he is up for reassessment after 90 days! 90 Days!! Do you see the level of wrongness in this? I agree that an eye for an eye will leave us all blind. But turning a blind eye to the reality and potential harm and future tragedy will not serve anyone well either.
I could go on, but...
Thanks Shawn for letting me express my opinion and concern.
j
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