Living in Shame

Last week I was taken aback by the shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. I couldn't help but think of my last visit there. As one walks those halls, you can only imagine the horror that a whole people group experienced. The emotion brought on by the experience of the museum is overwhelming in itself. Then, add to that the chaos of evil being played out in that building. I couldn't imagine being one of the people in the museum the day that James Von Brunn wreaked his havoc there.

This horrible incident has caused me to reflect on the levels of human consciousness and so I thought I would spend the next several weeks reflecting upon them by following Dr. David Hawkins' outline of them in his book, Power vs. Force. He notes that the lowest level of human consciousness exists as shame and I can only think that this is what motivates people like Von Brunn.

Shame is that level of life where people who have been abused, injured, beaten down by life and by other humans internalize their experiences in unhealthy ways. Such ways lead the victim of shame to act out sometimes by suicide, sometimes by murder, sometimes by infliction of pain upon themselves. Those who live life from a level of shame are those who cannot move beyond the negative emotions of life. They become prisoners to anger, sadness, bitterness, revenge, etc.

We cannot know really why Von Brunn did what he did. What was really active in his heart to motivate that? Of course, he is to blame for this horrible act and while we cannot take responsbility for someone else's evil acts, it strikes me, that even we, as a people connected to one another have a culpability in situations like this. Somewhere along the way we have looked down on someone, thought ourselves better than someone, banished someone from our lives. We have played selfish roles with no thought for the effect that our cruel words or actions might have on that person and with no idea for what else may be occurring in their lives. Von Brunn is the only one who has to answer for his crime, but I wonder if evil like this would happen in our world if we exhibited more of a consciousness about how we treated everyone--even the strangers we pass on the street.

This morning, ABC News personality, Diane Sawyer, asked Von Brunn's son if he would ever forgive his father. Erik Von Brunn was clearly so ashamed of what his father had done and said that he believed forgiveness would never be possible for him. I hope that does not prove to be true or else he might likely arrest himself in his own human development.

This week, as we pray for those directly affected by Von Brunn, as we pray that Von Brunn himself might be changed for the better, let us also pray that we will be able to express God's love to everyone and make a difference in another life--for the good!