Apr 12 2009
An Eye For An Eye?
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
For the past few weeks I’ve been reporting on the Sandra Cantu murder case out of Tracy, California on My City By The Bay blog. This disturbing case has drawn many feelings both from the heart and the ego. On my last post I mentioned that the killer should be taken out of suicide watch so that she can just end it all. I said that because I truly believe that anyone who takes a life does not deserve to live. I know that sounds harsh and I tried looking deep within myself to understand if that comes from my ego or my heart. I think it is derived a little from both.
The anger I have over this case, a person killing a child, makes my ego come into play out of that anger, wanting to see the killer punished. However at the same time my heart is wounded as a result of a child being killed yet allowing the killer to commit suicide would not do anything to bring the child back. What’s done is done and cannot be changed by anyone else leaving this earth.
This is very conflicting. I know that any feelings coming from anger are basically rooted and ruled by ego. Yet, my heart grieves for this young girl and her family. She was only eight years old and I just cannot have any sympathy or compassion for the person who killed her. I want to be able to say, well the killer obviously is greatly disturbed and needs help but saying that goes against what I feel in my heart.
I think many can understand these conflicting feelings. Most people are peaceful and passive at heart yet when we see something so terrible such as murder it is only human to want to see justice.
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this subject.
This family must have know something was wrong the murderer, too much religion breeds delusional thinking, and jealousy was also a reason, I believe.
Ran, thank you for reading and making a comment.
I can relate to your feelings toward this case, but for me, suicide is such an easy way out for her. Let her faces justice, punishment, and her own soul..
I share your mixed feelings. On the one hand, yes, killers should face justice. On the other, the justice system has been known to get things wrong in both directions. On the third paw, if an animal kills someone and there’s no doubt about the situation, we put it down as a hopeless case — and that little fact we all like to forget when it’s convenient is that humans are also animals (certainly not vegetables or minerals, or protozoans or fungus either if you want to get classy in your classifying). If this person wants to save everyone else the trouble and costs of trial and the sentence, well…
Gad, what a muddle.
tracker - Thank you for your response.