Hillsdale High suspect had REVENGE on his mind. We can reject revenge and grow up - San Jose Mercury News
August 26, 2009
By Joshua Melvin, Neil Gonzales and Sandra Gonzales
For months, police say, the 17-year-old former Hillsdale High student planned the chilling attack that erupted Monday at the school with two explosions. His motive? Revenge. His target? School staff.
We can be so grateful for the heroism of teacher, Kennet Santana, counselor Ed Canda and Principal Jeff Gilbert.
We can be grateful for law enforcement that stepped in when they arrived.
We can be grateful that there were no injuries to targeted victims or to this troubled young man.
We can be grateful that he will have a second chance to consider his life and become more than a statistic or a bad memory. We can pray for that.
We can pray for all the students, faculty, and community who have been traumatized.
We can be angry or we can be grateful. We can help break a pretty negative cycle if we choose gratitude.
This could have been a much worse story.
Revenge is never a good thing. Hopefully we all live long enough to discover what it stands for:
R - Right indignation gone wrong - Perhaps we have been legitimately wronged, but the moment we decide on revenge as a course of action, we cross to the wrong side. Find the right of your indignation and anger and channel your energies toward something that will make the world better for others.
E - Expense - Revenge never adds anything to our lives. It always expends our energies, joy, and peace of mind. Revenge is a thief. It steals our time and well being. Forgive people who wrong you and you will find that the chief beneficiary is yourself. It takes far less energy to forgive than it does to harbor anger.
V - Vitriolic - Vitriol is a corrosive acid in chemistry and a corrosive emotion inside of us. When we choose to nurture bitterness, it eats away at our souls. Just stop it. End it within yourself. Replace hatred with love and bitterness with joy. It is your choice.
E - Erosive - Revenge erodes our relationships, influence, and possibilities. It consumes things in our lives that are not easily replaced. Revenge adds nothing positive to other people's lives or to society. Become a builder and a problem solver.
N - Negative - It is always negative. It is never positive. It effects other people negatively. A person bent on revenge destroys other people than the objects of his or her wrath. Everyone is negatively impacted by one person's quest for revenge. Reject the negative urges and focus on something positive you can say or do for others.
G - Grandiose - Revenge is a big show and no one is buying a ticket. When you make a major production over some issue, you isolate yourself and draw attention to something of minor importance to the rest of the world. It would be far better to devote your attention to bringing justice to others in constructive ways.
E - Egotistical - Revenge is selfish. The person intent upon it assumes that the world revolves around his or her narcissistic desire to rectify some slight against his or her character or comfort. How childish! Take your eyes off yourself and focus on others. You will experience greater contentment than you ever imagined.
The boy in this story really was a child and really was disturbed. Unfortunately, the consequences of his actions could have been extremely grave and have certainly altered the course of his life for years. Intelligent people will have compassion on him but will also recognize he will have to answer for his choices and face their consequences. That is not revenge. It is just life.
You are not a child. You can choose a better way than revenge. Perhaps that is one good thing that come come from this disturbing story.