vigilante justice vs. open fire?

when we first moved here, and i heard about the violent vigilante justice that happens, i was shocked and appalled.  the first week we were here, people in kampala had chased down someone who stole a motorcycle, beat him, and then lit him on fire.  i couldn't believe it, who does stuff like that?  where have i moved? this place is crazy!! is what went through my mind. 

there have been several more events like this, and whenever i see a crowd, especially if there is smoke and fire involved, i hope i'm not coming across someone encased in tires and ignited for some crime that the community won't tolerate.

but.

it's not random.
it's not the mass murder of innocent children.
it's not as crazy as the crap that continues to happen in the good old U S of A.

when the denver movie theater shooting happened, we were all upset and saddened.  judes response was, "thank God we live in africa where it's safe!".  mike and i of course laughed at the irony of this, as most of us think of africa as much less safe than america. and it is in terms of illness and traffic accidents.  but in terms of random gun violence? no way. africa is safer.

the violence of people taking justice into their own hands isn't right at all, but it's a whole lot less savage and crazy then what just happened (again) in newtown conneticut.

i don't know the full story.  i don't know all the stories of all the gun violence that happens.  i hear the big ones- the school shootings- and i saw the fall out in the ERs from hand gun violence.  and i remember in med school having a visiting student from germany who needed to come learn trauma surgery in the US because "there isn't enough gun related traumas in germany to perfect the surgical techniques".

i know there is a lot of broken.  everywhere.
i know here the justice system needs work.  i know in the US the gun control system/ laws needs work.  i know that people everywhere are lonely and hurting and confused and sad and scared and that we are all capable of hurting each other badly. i know that the differences between uganda and the US are big, but not that big- really.

this is why God entered in.  this is why the messiah came as a baby, to a poor person, in a barn, not a palace.  to understand this type of suffering.  to know it.  to feel it. as we know it and feel it.  because when you love someone- you feel it together.  i can only believe in a God who understands suffering.  i can only believe in a God who loves enough to enter in.

but where is God in this? i think she is crying and reaching those everlasting arms down to all those families who are weeping with their now empty arms.  i think she is holding them and knowing their pain. i think she is also holding the family of that sad sick one who held the gun.  i think she is telling us to hold each other- to be there for each other- to try- but also, to maybe make some changes that will help stop the crazy.  yes, people kill people, but guns make it a lot easier, and a lot faster.

we need to do something.  about the guns, yes, but also about the broken.


we need to reach each other.  we need to love each other.  we need to hold each other in community.  we need to care for those who are left out.  we need to teach our children these things with our actions not just our words.  we need to prevent the lonely, we need to soothe the hurting, to direct the confused, to walk beside the sad, to comfort the scared, and to be gentle with one another.


it feels out of our control.  we feel helpless.  but we can do these things, we should do these things.