I was reading a Peggy Noonan column on the online Wall Street Journal this morning about Virginia Tech and responsibility. I usually start the post-devotional morning (not at 4:30am, I’m afraid, like Darin Ford!!) by reading newspapers for 30 minutes—I recommend the headlines from both the WSJ and the New York Times; they make a good comparison.
Anyway, Noonan was commenting on the Va Tech counseling services—how the director seemed committed to making America’s worst mass murderer a victim instead of a perpetrator (perhaps I am over-interpreting both the director and Ms. Noonan): we, the government, the school, the community didn’t "reach out" enough to a "troubled" person. We didn’t have a good enough "safety net."
Of course there is some truth to this—we can always do "more." Who couldn’t admit the need to "serve more," "do better," or "work harder at parenting"? There’s always room for improvement.
But there’s an even heavier truth to admit: unless we’re literally an irrational, incoherent, confused lunatic (think schizophrenics and psychotics), we—not the government, not even our parents—are ultimately and mostly responsible for becoming, being, and indulging the heart of a "hater." Every human being, in the end, is responsible for the maintenance of his or her heart: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). A darkened heart can become the wellspring of death, as it did on Monday.
Sympathy is a good thing but responsibility is a more empowering thing. When Dorothy found out how to get back to Kansas, the Scarecrow said, "I should have thought of it for you!" To which the good witch responded, "No, she had to figure it out for herself."
Make sure you guard your heart.
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