In the eyes of a killer

The look of regret as someone is being placed in handcuffs is a look that you see a lot and after some time, you began to recognize this look very easily. People make mistakes and that is always going to happen. A bad choice does not make a bad person, and believe it or not, that look of regret they have in their eyes is a good sign and it means there is still hope for that offender to become someone who would not make the same choices again.

It is also common for us to see anger, sadness and helplessness in the eyes of those we must deal with, but one that is more uncommon is the person who has no remorse. There is nothing more disturbing then looking into the eyes of a killer and seeing no regret for what they have done.

I once had someone who had been arrested for murder tell me their story. They said it in a calm and cool manner and when they were done telling me, they asked if they could have something to eat and wanted to talk about football.

The moral compass of the human heart has always been broken, but in some people it seems to be even more messed up than most. When talking to some of these people I often find myself wondering what is going on inside their mind. What has changed that made them want to do the things they did?

I asked a man who had cut someone's throat what made him decide to do such a thing, he looked at me smiling and said, "I just wanted to." There was no hatred, no sadness, no regret, there was nothing. Just empty eyes staring back at you. It is not human nature to be that calm and carefree after doing something so horrible.

When you see what is left behind in the wake of a crazed killer it is easy to not care why they did what they did, you just want something to be done about it. You want justice to be served and then you want to not think of it again.

But I still always wonder, what was the pivotal point in their life that sent them down this path and what other actions could have been taken place to prevent them from becoming what they are now? No one is responsible for their actions except the ones who commit the crimes, but we as a community must still do everything in our power to be the best example we can for the next generation.

Albert Einstein said, "Because they will learn from us. The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." And Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Sometimes the smallest things in life make the biggest difference, even if you do not realize it at the time. If we stand idly by, we will watch our world crumble before us. But if we make the effort to stand together and fight for what is right, we can watch our world grow and hopefully leave a better place for our children to inherit.