I have prayed for the families whose lives were shattered when Bruce Pardo dressed up in a Santa Suit and killed 9 people by shooting/burning with a home-made flame thrower. This was a senseless act.
I saw a couple of parallels with my past and can compare both of our lives. This can, hopefully, determine what contributed to his actions.
He went through a divorce. Big deal; I went through two divorces.
He lost a dog. Big deal; I lost two dogs in my second divorce, although one belonged to her before we met. My dog was a Shar-Pei and a lot prettier than his was.
He lost $10,000. Big deal; I lost $5,000 in the first divorce and $30,000+ in the second divorce.
He got to keep the house. He really made out on this one; in the first marriage we sold a house below what we paid for it and I completely lost a house in the second divorce.
He lost his job. Big deal; I lost my job at the time of my second divorce.
He was still staying in his warm house. Really Big Deal; I was out on the street living in a cold van that didn’t work too well. I was still thankful that I wasn’t sleeping on a park bench or on the grass.
He had a gun. Big Deal; I also had a gun.
He killed a whole lot of people. This is where we part paths; I had self control and some morals. I had the capability to go out and murder, rape, pillage and burn, but I didn’t. I didn’t even steal when I needed food.
The real ironic fact is this: he had a church community to support him. At the time of my divorces, I did not have a church community to rely on. I did, however have a strong moral fortitude as far as honesty and treating people was concerned.