Yesterday Finland rose to the Headlines globally, and
unfortunately in a tragic way. I won't repeat the story and I don't try to speculate the reasons...
Violence is never acceptable, yet I may have a point of view which some people might find offensive, and I'm sorry for that but it has to be stated too: If it is true what was said, that the shooter was harshly bullied at school, then - in a strange way - I can sympathize with him.
For me the last three years at primary school - at the ages of 14-16 - were just living hell, every single day! I was quiet and that was enough to make me a target. I can affirm that no punches hurt like words - they make deep wounds which take time to heal, perhaps the rest of your life! The Student Counsellor treated me as a problem. Teachers just laughed at the bullies and their ongoing joking in the class-room. They didn't see or didn't want to see what was going on. So, you could say they were partly responsible.
Somehow I managed to survive through those three years but immadiately after that I got very depressed and wanted to kill myself. However, I was not left alone and I got help. Since that one fall and winter I have never been depressed again and suicide would be totally out of the question. For same reason my younger brother later stopped going to school for good and completed his degrees from home!
Much has changed in my life - not least the fact that I found that "one special person" by my side. My self-esteem was crushed for so many years and I was convinced that I'm ugly and nobody could love me. Making friends and trusting people is not easy even today.
Over twenty years have passed. Last year there was a class re-union. I didn't go. I e-mailed to my old buddy that I would only come with a bomb. That was a bad joke of course. I never recollect those days. Never! If sometimes a memory comes to mind, I feel anger and I've even had killing fantasies at that moment. The only way I was able to protect myself back then, was to withdraw to my own inner world. I didn't allow myself to show that I was hurt. I cried alone at home and in turn treated my younger brother badly - thing I regret the most in my past! I didn't want to admit to any adults that I was bullied so much, because I felt it was my weakness! And another defence mechanism I created was to start to think that I was in fact intellectually above those who bullied me!
What comes to the extreme world view of the shooter, like idealising Hitler and Stalin... Well, on my behalf I can say I have learnt to understand the conclusions upon which Anton LaVey based his satanic philosophy, according to which there is no Supreme Power above man; man is just the highest animal; Satan is a symbol of his bestial side; The weak shall perish and only the strong survive, and so on. I'm not saying I believe any of that - no way! And neither this is to suggest that an average satanist is not a decent citizen just as much as any atheist!
However, when such a tragedy occurs, there is another perspective to be considered seriously: The sphere of invisible forces that effect our material world and some of which we can call demonic. Person who is able to do an evil act like that, is not quite himself - his I amness is ousted and he's "possessed". It is indisputable fact that there is a connection between similar acts in America and elsewhere, only it's not on material level but spiritual. One could imagin it's like a supernatural virus infection. I think those who lack the spiritual concepts of world and man in their thinking, are more vulnerable: For instance, young people who can't find any meaning of life.
We need to put on a full armor of God as St. Paul says in his epistle, because the dragon was hurled to the earth with his angels (Rev.12).
I'm happy in my present day life and my attitude towards the future is positive. Only my past is shadowed by the dark cloud. Even though I sincerely believe I have needed also all those painful experiences to become the one I am today; An easier life could have made me a shallow person - a kind I wouldn't like. As a christian, "love your enemies" and "forgive those who have tresspassed against us", mean the world to me, and God knows I have tried! But being a christian does not make you less human.
What I am trying to say is, obviously that person was a very disturbed young man and there is absolutely nothing to justify what he did... And at the same time I can possibly comprehend what kind of circumstances led him to the dead end. It could have been me in the 80's. It might be anyone who's been bullied hard enough, long enough, til something irreplaceable finally breaks in one's soul and the hell is breaking loose - the same hell one has been living in... When the vessel is broken it can no longer hold the contents.
How about a little bit of Compassion to the school life - to the lifes of each one of us - in stead of competition, criticism, comparison..?
Nowadays News reach the whole world in no time at all - bad news even faster, and it seems as if the bad news were the only good news. Is this constant flow of images from wars and disasters - not to mention the violent movies and games we call entertainment - made us to get used to it all, so that if something is to catch our attention and make us care at all it has to be huge? Minor personal tragedies happen everyday, everywhere, they just don't make it to the news and even if they did, they don't touch us; we have seen too much already. And the world didn't stop this time either.
Modern world is becoming increasingly artificial, effective, and faster. I know what I am talking about. I only need to look back to my childhood in the 70's.
In my early years we didn't even have a television, and when we got it, it was black and white and there were only two channels in Finland at the time. I didn't have much toys but I practised my imagination a lot. And my mother taught me to love books. One memory I cherish is when we had relatives visiting and ex tempore we made up a play of The Sleeping Beauty; Both adults and children alike were participating joyfully and we had so much fun!
Now there are TV-channels more than enough, children's cartoons are full of "Crash! Boom! Bang!"-action, and if nothing is on TV there is always DVD. They have plenty of ready-played plastic junk as toys. Almost everyone in Finland has a mobile phone (even I think my friend who doesn't want one, is just being difficult!). There is internet and console games. Don't tell me it doesn't effect children! This is why I very much support steinerpedagogy - my heart tells me it's right!
I just learnt that Finland is ranked third among the most-armed nations: I have never seen a real gun in my life!
Tonight I will pray for the victims and I will also pray for the killer - a kind of victim too. And he will have to face the results of his action in the Afterlife and that's not going to be easy! He has created his own hell - that's the only hell there is, a state of mind. His victims instead will be embraced by the angels and passed loved ones, in their tender and loving care!
Those of us who believe in reincarnation and karma, know that the consequences of his action won't end in the spiritual world - the bitter fruits of his deed come back to himself and he will reap what he sowed here on earth. It will come as a lesson to learn, an opportunity to grow, tough love as Lord will use his rod and staff as stated in Psalm 23.
His parents were threatened after the incidence and they needed police protection; For heaven's sake - did they not lose their child, too?! As if they didn't have a right to grieve in peace. Like it woudn't be enough that they must be accusing themselves and feeling shame. Local people were quoted saying that Jokela is such a small place where everyone knows each other - as if it was a good thing: I grew up in a place like that and it was distressing. People were nosy and gossiping and they thought they knew you! Lord have mercy, if you are somehow different - or feel different.
I don't believe that violent death is God's plan for anyone, it is always premature and meaningless; but that's exactly why it will be balanced for the victims of such a death in the future and their cups will overflow with gracious happiness, and they may be born again rather soon (usually we would talk about hundreds of years in earth time, between death and new birth). I know this won't comfort their families. I can only say: may God bless them.
For a few days afterwards I was feeling distressed; Am I a bad person, because all I could think of were my own painful experiences? Then, in The Act of Consecration of Man, I felt just immensely relieved: Christ Jesus took my burden away. And after that I met a friend of mine, with whom I was able to talk about the issue; He had similar experiences and feelings, so he understood me, unlike my partner (whose love is my primary source of comfort anyway, right after the love of my Lord).
unfortunately in a tragic way. I won't repeat the story and I don't try to speculate the reasons...Violence is never acceptable, yet I may have a point of view which some people might find offensive, and I'm sorry for that but it has to be stated too: If it is true what was said, that the shooter was harshly bullied at school, then - in a strange way - I can sympathize with him.
For me the last three years at primary school - at the ages of 14-16 - were just living hell, every single day! I was quiet and that was enough to make me a target. I can affirm that no punches hurt like words - they make deep wounds which take time to heal, perhaps the rest of your life! The Student Counsellor treated me as a problem. Teachers just laughed at the bullies and their ongoing joking in the class-room. They didn't see or didn't want to see what was going on. So, you could say they were partly responsible.
Somehow I managed to survive through those three years but immadiately after that I got very depressed and wanted to kill myself. However, I was not left alone and I got help. Since that one fall and winter I have never been depressed again and suicide would be totally out of the question. For same reason my younger brother later stopped going to school for good and completed his degrees from home!
Much has changed in my life - not least the fact that I found that "one special person" by my side. My self-esteem was crushed for so many years and I was convinced that I'm ugly and nobody could love me. Making friends and trusting people is not easy even today.
Over twenty years have passed. Last year there was a class re-union. I didn't go. I e-mailed to my old buddy that I would only come with a bomb. That was a bad joke of course. I never recollect those days. Never! If sometimes a memory comes to mind, I feel anger and I've even had killing fantasies at that moment. The only way I was able to protect myself back then, was to withdraw to my own inner world. I didn't allow myself to show that I was hurt. I cried alone at home and in turn treated my younger brother badly - thing I regret the most in my past! I didn't want to admit to any adults that I was bullied so much, because I felt it was my weakness! And another defence mechanism I created was to start to think that I was in fact intellectually above those who bullied me!
What comes to the extreme world view of the shooter, like idealising Hitler and Stalin... Well, on my behalf I can say I have learnt to understand the conclusions upon which Anton LaVey based his satanic philosophy, according to which there is no Supreme Power above man; man is just the highest animal; Satan is a symbol of his bestial side; The weak shall perish and only the strong survive, and so on. I'm not saying I believe any of that - no way! And neither this is to suggest that an average satanist is not a decent citizen just as much as any atheist!
However, when such a tragedy occurs, there is another perspective to be considered seriously: The sphere of invisible forces that effect our material world and some of which we can call demonic. Person who is able to do an evil act like that, is not quite himself - his I amness is ousted and he's "possessed". It is indisputable fact that there is a connection between similar acts in America and elsewhere, only it's not on material level but spiritual. One could imagin it's like a supernatural virus infection. I think those who lack the spiritual concepts of world and man in their thinking, are more vulnerable: For instance, young people who can't find any meaning of life.
We need to put on a full armor of God as St. Paul says in his epistle, because the dragon was hurled to the earth with his angels (Rev.12).
I'm happy in my present day life and my attitude towards the future is positive. Only my past is shadowed by the dark cloud. Even though I sincerely believe I have needed also all those painful experiences to become the one I am today; An easier life could have made me a shallow person - a kind I wouldn't like. As a christian, "love your enemies" and "forgive those who have tresspassed against us", mean the world to me, and God knows I have tried! But being a christian does not make you less human.
What I am trying to say is, obviously that person was a very disturbed young man and there is absolutely nothing to justify what he did... And at the same time I can possibly comprehend what kind of circumstances led him to the dead end. It could have been me in the 80's. It might be anyone who's been bullied hard enough, long enough, til something irreplaceable finally breaks in one's soul and the hell is breaking loose - the same hell one has been living in... When the vessel is broken it can no longer hold the contents.
How about a little bit of Compassion to the school life - to the lifes of each one of us - in stead of competition, criticism, comparison..?
Nowadays News reach the whole world in no time at all - bad news even faster, and it seems as if the bad news were the only good news. Is this constant flow of images from wars and disasters - not to mention the violent movies and games we call entertainment - made us to get used to it all, so that if something is to catch our attention and make us care at all it has to be huge? Minor personal tragedies happen everyday, everywhere, they just don't make it to the news and even if they did, they don't touch us; we have seen too much already. And the world didn't stop this time either.
Modern world is becoming increasingly artificial, effective, and faster. I know what I am talking about. I only need to look back to my childhood in the 70's.
In my early years we didn't even have a television, and when we got it, it was black and white and there were only two channels in Finland at the time. I didn't have much toys but I practised my imagination a lot. And my mother taught me to love books. One memory I cherish is when we had relatives visiting and ex tempore we made up a play of The Sleeping Beauty; Both adults and children alike were participating joyfully and we had so much fun!
Now there are TV-channels more than enough, children's cartoons are full of "Crash! Boom! Bang!"-action, and if nothing is on TV there is always DVD. They have plenty of ready-played plastic junk as toys. Almost everyone in Finland has a mobile phone (even I think my friend who doesn't want one, is just being difficult!). There is internet and console games. Don't tell me it doesn't effect children! This is why I very much support steinerpedagogy - my heart tells me it's right!
I just learnt that Finland is ranked third among the most-armed nations: I have never seen a real gun in my life!
Tonight I will pray for the victims and I will also pray for the killer - a kind of victim too. And he will have to face the results of his action in the Afterlife and that's not going to be easy! He has created his own hell - that's the only hell there is, a state of mind. His victims instead will be embraced by the angels and passed loved ones, in their tender and loving care!Those of us who believe in reincarnation and karma, know that the consequences of his action won't end in the spiritual world - the bitter fruits of his deed come back to himself and he will reap what he sowed here on earth. It will come as a lesson to learn, an opportunity to grow, tough love as Lord will use his rod and staff as stated in Psalm 23.
His parents were threatened after the incidence and they needed police protection; For heaven's sake - did they not lose their child, too?! As if they didn't have a right to grieve in peace. Like it woudn't be enough that they must be accusing themselves and feeling shame. Local people were quoted saying that Jokela is such a small place where everyone knows each other - as if it was a good thing: I grew up in a place like that and it was distressing. People were nosy and gossiping and they thought they knew you! Lord have mercy, if you are somehow different - or feel different.
I don't believe that violent death is God's plan for anyone, it is always premature and meaningless; but that's exactly why it will be balanced for the victims of such a death in the future and their cups will overflow with gracious happiness, and they may be born again rather soon (usually we would talk about hundreds of years in earth time, between death and new birth). I know this won't comfort their families. I can only say: may God bless them.
For a few days afterwards I was feeling distressed; Am I a bad person, because all I could think of were my own painful experiences? Then, in The Act of Consecration of Man, I felt just immensely relieved: Christ Jesus took my burden away. And after that I met a friend of mine, with whom I was able to talk about the issue; He had similar experiences and feelings, so he understood me, unlike my partner (whose love is my primary source of comfort anyway, right after the love of my Lord).
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