With the decision in the George Zimmerman trial coming up, I can't help but think about how frustrating the whole ordeal is. First of all, the self defense argument is a tough sell in my opinion. Was I there? No, but I have a really hard time believe this 17 year old kid was so close to murdering Zimmerman, that Georgey-boy had no choice but to shoot this young man. The defense was really flustered when they couldn't use marijuana as evidence of Martin's problems. Call me crazy, but if Martin had just gotten high, wouldn't he rather relax than fight this fat old dude? Was Trayvon Martin a problem child? That is a distinct possibility. I didn't know the kid. Maybe he was a real punk, talked back to his teachers, skipped class, drank underage, the whole nine yards. Regardless of this, and race issues aside, I think America has kind of forgot the real issue here: a young boy had his life ripped away from him by a stupid, disgusting human being.
I'm a firm believer that murder is wrong. Weird, I know. Blame my parents for instilling those horrible beliefs in me. I cannot justify any possible reason for killing anybody. I will never go hunting because even the thought of shooting in an innocent deer is not a fun one for me. The thought of taking another person's life away from them is a horrid one. Martin was somebody's son. How do you think his mother felt finding out that George Zimmerman had shot her baby boy? How would any of you parents feel if it was your son or daughter?
I'm not a father, and hopefully won't be for a few years (sorry mom, but I'm not rushing that one). I try and draw a parallel at the thought of losing one of my sisters. Or my parents. Or Emily. When I think about losing my mother, I have hard time not breaking into tears. The woman who gave me life; it's hard to imagine a life without her. I know it's inevitable, but I could not bare (wrong use of bare/bear? I don't know, I'm a math major) to think about a life without her, and the thought of somebody taking my time with her away prematurely is enough to destroy me.
Is this a fair comparison? Probably not. My parents have always said that their biggest fear is having to bury one of their children. (Fingers crossed) to this point they haven't had to. Trayvon's mother has. She had to watch as people poured dirt over his grave. I assume that she wept as she watched her son's coffin disappear from view. That is a vision I cannot even fathom, and one that I wish on nobody.
So while the nation waits for a decision on Zimmerman, I just want to remind people that this is more important than a fight against racism. A human life is more important to me.
That being said, if Zimmerman did this out of hate, or fear, or disdain for black youths, I would like to ask him: why? What could any black person have done that so wronged you? What makes you think, that you're slimy, pathetic excuse for a life was worth more than his?
I will never understand racism. And I will never understand murder. And I believe that both separately are deeds that should not go unpunished. Put the two together, and I think we have found a reason why utopias only exist in our imagination.
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