The Death of Innocence

Welcome everyone to Friday’s edition of The Magical Mystery Blog.

This past week, we have suffered a tragedy in which three boys shot a visiting baseball player. Their reason for such a horrific massacre was that they were bored. This is not Candid Camera and yes, you've probably heard this on the news by now.

Christopher Lane, a young Australian attending college in Oklahoma was killed by three teenage boys. They randomly selected Lane as their target because he happened to be jogging by their house. They proceeded to stalk him and shoot Lane before driving off.

What surprises me about this murder is that the teenagers decided to kill Lane because they were bored. To be bored is a sin, yet we all commit it. Boredom leads to procrastination which is followed by something to lift our spirits. People usually do something productive or fun to rid themselves of this lazy slump. These activities usually include eating, looking for jobs, going outside, playing video games, exercising, and many others.

However, killing is one of the worse murder and cure-to-boredom I've ever heard.

It sickens me that people value others lives as nothing more than shooting practice. It shows that people have no regard for life whatsoever and have tossed it aside like moldy cheese.  It also makes me question the state of mentality that these people have. It makes me wonder what they were raised with, what they have seen, and how it has affected them overall. The media, life changing experiences, and other events can play a part in ruining a good mentality. So what does it take for people to kill others out of boredom?

Killers who shoot others for fun may have a few loose screws in their skulls. The eldest of the teenagers openly admitted in full detail to the officer that they shot Lane to alleviate their boredom. It’s not only insane and mortifying to kill because of boredom but to give a full description of it is crazier. I say this because imagine your child or the youngest person you know, giving a detailed play by play of a murder they committed. The words of blood, massacre, and weaponry tumbling out of their mouth is terrifying.

Teenagers and children are full of youth and innocence. They are starting out in life and trying to cope with maturity, understand the ways of the world, and comprehend basic concepts. They are unaware of what exists and how to deal with it. When something as sinister as murder is instilled into their brains so much so that they carry it out, it shatters their innocence, and makes them a darker person. It transforms them into a stranger we do not know and begin to question. What made them do this and why? How did they do this? Who are they? Do they understand what they did and what the consequences will be?

The teenagers of this shooting, James Edwards Jr. (15), Chancey Luna (16), and Michael Jones (17)  are being held in separate jail cells and were charged as adults. If they are to be convicted of first degree murder, they will possibly face life in prison. Until then, may Christopher Lee rest in peace, may justice be served, and may others never ever use killing or any horrific act as a logical excuse for easing boredom.