I'm sure everyone has heard by this point but here's the lowdown in case you haven't. At approximately 12:30am today a gunman opened fire on a theater in Aurora, Colorado filled with The Dark Knight Rises fans, killing over a dozen and injuring over 50. The final toll for victims is 71.
This tragedy seems fitting somehow with the pain and suffering Colorado has experienced over the last few months. It doesn't even feel quite real to me yet. All I knew was that when I first heard of the shooting (without knowing where in Colorado it happened) my immediate thought was for a friend of mine who was attending a midnight showing with his buddies but he was in Colorado Springs. There will be plainsclothes police officers in every showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Colorado this weekend to dissuade any copycats. This might be something they do across the country, I don't know.
What do you say when something like this happens? When does this ever happen?
Caitlin and I had planned on seeing The Dark Knight Rises this weekend. But now. Now I'm not so sure I want to go sit in a darkened theater where someone could easily come through the emergency exit and start killing people.
My heart grieves. It grieves for the victims, it grieves for the witnesses, and it also grieves for the people who spent a good 3 years of their lives making this movie in the hopes it would bring enjoyment and entertainment to millions. Now all people will remember is "The Batman Massacre" as its been named. And massacre would be right. This is the largest shooting in history. Movie theaters aren't that big. You can kill and maim a lot of people in a short amount of time.
What has happened to this nation? Right now Batman weeps for us.
I'm sorry for everyone who was hurt and killed last night. It saddens me that people do this, plan this. And plan it he did -- this shooting is right out of a 1981 Batman comic book, in which the villain starts killing patrons in a movie theater.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to live in fear, Carissa. Just use discernment and wisdom in your choices, and trust God with the rest. This weekend is probably the safest time to see the movie, since security will be on high alert. But... you may not enjoy it as much as you would have otherwise, since seeing people die on the big screen or be mowed down by gunfire can feel different with a recent tragedy hollowing out your soul. =(
I'm just too tired right now to really want to see this movie at all. I'll probably feel better once I have a proper night's sleep but it's been about 3 days since I've had that. Right now, sleep deprived, everything seems worse. Although I don't see how I could imagine this being worse than it already is. I just wish I knew why I wasn't sleeping well.
ReplyDeleteMy mother told me about this horrible shooting this morning. We then watched some of the coverage - like you there are no words to describe this but one thing I do know: I cannot even begin to imagine the terror that went through the minds of this audience! I've never been in a situation even close to this.
ReplyDeleteI cannot honestly say that life and the people you encounter don't frighten me, but I also believe that you have to live. We have to be smart but we cannot let fear paralyze us.
PS: Hope you get to feeling better, Carissa!
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