Today is Yom Kippur, which means in my neighborhood, I have watched my Jewish neighbors walk up and down the street all day. Yom Kippur, while a day of atonement, also serves as a family day in my neighborhood. Large families come together for the day. And in New York, most schools and colleges are off for the day.
Lingual Y and I spent part of the day discussing why we think a day of atonement is a good and interesting idea in religion; it "stops" regular time and allows you to really put the year in perspective. It also allows you to make amends, both big and small. (Of course it would be nice if those amends could be daily habits as well).
After spending an idyllic day of writing, walking & talking, imagine my surprise when I turned on NPR to find out that an Amish school was the site of a killing spree today. Nestled in the heart of Lancaster, PA (and quite close to the Tremor homestead), the school and the Amish community it serves is now at the heart of a public media spectacle it would rather eschew.
I'm sure, in the coming hours and days, details will emerge about the killer and his pain and demons that pushed him toward such a violent and desperate act. But for me, I can only imagine the horrible pain in that community tonight. The pain of lost daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, and friends. The pain of a violation so horrible. The despair at having their cloistered world violently torn open. The pain of not being able to understand why. The pain of having their grief further exploited by a media all too ready to show stock photos of the "simple life."
Growing up as a minster's daughter, I understand the cocoon of the church and how living in a religious community shields you from the outside world. I understand wanting to make different choices than the ones presented to you by consumer-capitalism. Driving through Amish country on a fairly regular basis, I marvel at the intersection of our society and theirs. While my family is by no means Amish, I sometimes think about the intentional community the Amish have set up and the ways they have kept the outer world at bay. (Of course, this can also have its drawbacks, as local medical practitioners trying to aid the community will tell you).
I am so very sad that their peace has been violated, that they have so much pain. And I mourn for the lives of those 3 little girls.
