Should the People of Sandy Hook Forgive Nancy Lanza?
It was the worst crime in Connecticut history. 20 innocent children and 6 adults were slain in Sandy Hook on Dec.14, 2012 five years ago this week.
This past Sunday (December 10) Rob Ryser, a writer for the News Times wrote an in-depth article about the shooter's mother, Nancy Lanza, who was the first to be slain on that horrible day in Sandy Hook. My purpose here is to provided a synopsis of Rob Ryser's article and to raise some questions about the mother of a very disturbed young man.
Nancy Lanza was never mentioned as one of the individuals killed in the massacre. She was not remembered as a domestic abuse victim at the hands of her son. She was not remembered as the mother of a son who had special needs. Many just remember Nancy Lanza as the mother who had accessible firearms in her home and failed at getting her son the mental health treatment he so obviously needed. Does this translate into her being the cause of the shootings on December 14?
According to Rob Reyer's article, some of the families who lost children on Dec.14 at Sandy Hook are now talking about mercy for Nancy Lanza. Scarlet Lewis, who lost her 6-year-old son Jesse in the shootings told the News Times:
People think forgiveness is a gift you give to the perpetrator, but in reality, it's a gift you give to yourself. Newtown still has a lot of healing to do, so there are a lot of courageous conversations we have to have about Nancy Lanza and her son.
I have a 33-year-old son with Borderline Personality Disorder and I've learned that professional help is, in most cases, not effective unless the individual is a willing participant in the therapy process.
My question to you is this: Do you think Nancy Lanza is partly to blame for the heinous acts that her son committed? Or do you think she did as much as she could considering the circumstances?
Kudos to Rob Reyser from the News Times for the excellent story about Nancy Lanza. To read his complete article, visit newstimes.com.
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