I don’t follow the news much; usually, I hear about things on social media. This morning, the news that Charlie Kirk had been shot was all over my social media feed. Thoughts varied widely. Those who liked Kirk were expressing sadness that he was dead. Among those who were not fans of him or his teachings, the reactions were varied. Some expressed a kind of “good riddance” attitude. But others recognized that his death was tragic, regardless of what they may have thought of him or his political views.
I found this take particularly impactful:
The Reality
Here’s the reality: Charlie Kirk was a husband and father, and his family is grieving now. I don’t care what you think of his ideologies; he was a human being, and he did not deserve to be struck down by gun violence—or by any other method. Those who might be rejoicing right now that he can’t influence anyone else need to stop and evaluate. If this had been their favorite podcast host or their favorite political leader, they would most certainly be calling out those who didn’t like the person and were rejoicing at their death. The saying “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” comes to mind.
Here’s the thing: How we react when others disagree with us matters. And how we react when those who disagree with us are hurt or die matters too. It says more about us than about them.
I have heard people on the right point to the riots that were brought on by the far-leftist crowd, and say that this shows how bad the leftist ideology is. But then I’ve heard left-leaning public figures talk about the death threats they get regularly from far-right wing individuals. The reality is, the extremes of both sides are really messed up. No one should be rioting, and no one should be sending death threats. Period.
What Does It Say About You?
What happened to Charlie was a tragedy. It should not have happened. But it did. Some people feel devastated by it, believing that Christianity lost a great leader. Some people are feeling guilty because they actually feel a little relief that he isn’t spreading what they consider to be poisonous rhetoric. Neither of those reactions is wrong. But some people are actually pleased that he’s dead, and that is wrong.
If that’s you, I want to encourage you to take a good, hard look at yourself. Your reaction says nothing about Charlie Kirk; he’s dead, and he can’t do any more good/damage/take-your-pick anymore. But your reaction to his death says something about you.
And the good thing is, if you don’t like your reaction, you can do something about it. You can change who you are.
If you want to talk about it, please reach out! I’d love to help you process your thoughts on the subject.
Note: I have been very careful not to imply what my opinion of Kirk is. Yes, I have one. No, I’m not going to share it because it is irrelevant to this conversation.
