what is love?
haddaway
the media accounts of the houston school shooter are extremely troublesome. according to the reports, he was bullied and robbed in part because other students were jealous of him and he had nice possessions. he is charged with three counts aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. he shot three people with one critically wounded. no one has died.
from some accounts, we learn that his father had been beaten to death and his mother has spent time behind bars. as a result, extended family raised him. he matriculated through school with reportedly “very good” grades. from the media accounts, his extended family, i.e. grandmother, lavished him with the finer things in life; nice clothes and a nice car. from an outsider’s view point, it would appear that he was coddled or spoiled. a family relative admitted that, because of his possessions, he was a target. dailymail.com
dealing with the loss of a parent for a young child is traumatic. no matter one’s station in life, the loss creates problems with respect to authority and boundaries. a father’s role in a child’s upbringing is important. a father’s responsibility, which his act of love, is in part to create boundaries for their children and be a source of common sense.
a father, understanding the nature of student peers and the nature of coveting, would be someone who would not put their child in a position where they could be the subject of ridicule or place them in harm. thus, a child having a fancy car, nice clothing, jewelry and electronic technology places them at risk of harm and theft. thus, as much as these things may make a child happy, the act of discouraging them from flaunting these things in school is an act of love.
a father’s role is to make their child independent. thus, a father’s love is to teach their children about caution and respect. it is to teach them of humility. this is the love of a father.
the love and compassion that comes non-fathers is different. in this child’s instance, perhaps they sought to heal his wounds with material objects rather than the gift of how to safely navigate through the world. perhaps, their love and compassion served only half of this child’s needs and placed him at risk for his fateful interaction.
the fallout from this perhaps is still continuing.
recent news reports, it is reported that the school shooter violated his bond when he tested positive for a substance. the bond conditions banned him from using illegal drugs and alcohol. wfaa.com
this may appear to be another example of the lack of a father’s love and compassion. a father would have been upset that his son failed to follow a simple rule to stay out of jail. the shooter reportedly was allowed to bail out as a result of the violation. while the shooter is an adult, 18 years of age, it is hard-pressed to see either the court system or his extended family acting as the father this child so desperately needs.
in sum, there are many different types of love and compassion in this world. raising children without the appropriate balance can unfortunately make them a victim. sadly, the victim they created can places others at risk for victimhood.
be well!!
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