We carry the burden of doing right – Die Woestynrot

The events of the past week have indeed shaken Dundee and its people to the core, that’s for sure.

Debates are raging on supporting the shooter, the acceptability of dealing in narcotics, the advocates for the death penalty and the place of cannabis as a recreational drug/medicine, or whatever other point of view may be out there. There were even accusations flung at us that we support this madness by publishing it.

The point is that in any human society, with all its follies and foibles, there is law. Without the Rule of Law, we would be nothing more than a pack of wild dogs, tearing at our frustrations and irritations with naked teeth. Go and read William Golding’s book The Lord of the Flies.

The events have also brought to the fore the many who would seek to be small town heroes. Many of these folk have very good intentions and often put their lives on the line without expecting anything in return, except a thank you. But there are those who would want to be in the limelight, as it were, and then immediately withdraw should the script somehow go awry.

I am indeed acquainted with the accused. He is a man with a family, a wife and children, who have been through much and will probably go through more hell in the days to come. They are innocent and I want to state that clearly. Leave them be. He was an alleged drug user himself and that is no caveat for his actions in itself. The shady world of illegal drugs is populated by malignant figures that often turn on this world itself.

Create your support groups, to be sure. Think about the fact that if there had been no drugs in Dundee, this would never have happened. Do not support the deeds of this man, but support his efforts to pay his debt to society and do not glorify the killing of these people, whomever they may have been. Let the law take its course. Support those children in making sense of all this. I would hate to wake up in a society where I could get shot for no reason at all, or just be in the way of somebody else’s ire.

The legal principle that people are innocent until proven guilty is there for a reason. It prevents you from getting mauled to death by the bigger dog out there simply because he has sharper teeth. Do what you feel is right. Do what you must. But be sure of your actions. Would you be able to go home and tell your wife/husband/mother/father/children you did the right thing?

We need to take long and hard looks at ourselves in the mirror and tell ourselves we are still decent people, in spite of what happens to us.