What happened in Orlando has left us numb and saddened beyond belief. Trying to understand such hatred and horror is difficult, but it truth we humans have been murderous throughout history. Perhaps the easy access to news and information is what has made it seem as though violence has increased in intensity and frequency, coupled with technology which allows a gun to be fired in rapid succession so that one person can shoot 49 quickly and easily. When I heard newscasters saying this was the largest shooting in American history, my thoughts went to the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado in 1864 and Wounded Knee in South Dakota on December 29, 1890. At Sand Creek a 700-man force of Colorado Territory militia attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho killing and mutilating an estimated 70–163 Native Americans, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. The Indians, under Chief Black Kettle, had been flying an American flag with a white flag beneath it to indicate they were peaceful. Black Kettle was shot down while holding the white flag and beseeching the soldiers to hold their fire.
At Wounded Knee, a jittery 7th Cavalry (spooked by a group of Indians performing the Ghost Dance) attempted to disarm the Lakota camp when a scuffle over a rifle escalated and a shot was accidentally fired. The 7th Cavalry opened fire from all sides, indiscriminately killing men, women, and children, as well as some of their fellow soldiers. The surviving Lakota fled, but cavalrymen pursued and killed many who were unarmed. By the time it was over, more than 150 Lakota men, women, and children had been killed and 51 were wounded; some estimates placed the number of dead at 300. (this information from Wikipedia)
Where does this horror come from? A sense of self-loathing, perhaps? Alienation, fear, the need to "feel" superior, or appear to be superior when in fact one feels inferior. What is it that threatens us when we encounter those who are "different?" If only we could appreciate those who are different instead of mocking them or making fun of them; send love to our "enemies" instead of hate; feel secure and comfortable in ourselves so we can live and let live,
To be and let be...