Trayvon Martin’s death cannot go in vein. The violence in this country, the fear that feeds it, needs to end. There is no black, there is no white- there is only human. We are all here on this earth together, and instead of looking out for one another, we are filled with panic which causes us to turn to violence. This constant fear, this void of love and optimism towards one another is what is wrong with our society.
George Zimmerman by all means is an innocent man. The law associated with murder was not violated that night. What was violated was human morality. It is rare when it is justifiable for one human to kill another. This was not that case. Trayvon was unarmed, Zimmerman was carrying a gun. Trayvon may have started the altercation, or he may have been attacked, both possibilities do not matter. What matters is that a life was lost, and it was lost for no reason.
George Zimmerman was a wannabe vigilante. His actions fit his persona, as a neighborhood watchman who took his job to unnecessary extremes. Trayvon was visiting a relative in a gated community, one that he has visited often. He has never robbed a house there, or caused any trouble as far as any records show. Trayvon was carrying skittles and iced tea. Zimmerman was carrying a loaded hand gun. Zimmerman had a known record of pushing his voluntary neighborhood watch job to strange limits, and on that fateful night he was told by 911 operators to remain back and not pursue Martin. He disobeyed, and today we have one less 17 year old able to contribute to our society. Who started the altercation is not what is important, it is who ended it. Trayvon Martin’s past as a “troublemaker” is irrelevant. George Zimmerman fired away and took the life of an innocent young adult. No one will ever know what Trayvon might have accomplished in the future. No one ever will. However we should all take away the following things from his death.
Trayvon has poked quite the hole in our legal system. It is legal to shoot another man dead, if you feel like your life is in danger. If you “feel” like your life is in danger. George Zimmerman’s feeling of danger is completely personal. His feelings of danger and mine could be, and probably are, completely different. The legal system does not take morals into account. However to have a law, one that can decide life or death for somebody else, based on whether or not he or she “feels like” their life is in danger, is absolutely nonsensical. George Zimmerman will live for a long time in protective custody. At 28 years of age and hidden beneath a blanket of security, Zimmerman will contribute next to nothing to our society.
Things need to change. Morality is all we as humans have as a gage of right or wrong. A law should not infringe upon our moral decision making. A law should also not rely on the opinion of another to decide whether or not a life can be taken. Trayvon is this day and ages Emmett Till. A gage for where we are at as a society. A gage for where our legal system stands. Sure, Zimmerman was innocent on all counts, but what does that matter in a faulty legal system with a horrific track record? Zimmerman made a mistake, he disobeyed orders and acted upon his desire to be a hero, chasing down Trayvon simply because he looked suspicious. Martin did not die in vain. The events that occurred on February 26th 2012, and the trial that followed, will be remembered as a turning point in our society; a turning point that leads to improvement, or regression.
Where will we stand as a society now? Will we continue to be numb to the violence that we hear about every day, or will we, as individuals, make a stand. We will not change the law that acquitted George Zimmerman. What we can do is prevent the death of another, and avoid ever seeing another trial where the “stand your ground” law comes into effect. Will you continue to live in fear and suspicion of the next person that walks by you, or will you think rationally about the situation before you act upon your emotions?
The future of this world is exclusively in our hands. We have the power to stop the violence, but we also have the power to let it progress. From this day forward, killing someone makes you no different, and no better, than George Zimmerman. Don’t let Trayvon’s death go in vain, think about him before you involve yourself in violence. It is up to us to stop the violence, use Trayvon’s death as an awakening for a new era of armistice. Love for Trayvon. Peace for Trayvon. Change for Trayvon. Rest In Peace.
George Zimmerman was a wannabe vigilante. His actions fit his persona, as a neighborhood watchman who took his job to unnecessary extremes. Trayvon was visiting a relative in a gated community, one that he has visited often. He has never robbed a house there, or caused any trouble as far as any records show. Trayvon was carrying skittles and iced tea. Zimmerman was carrying a loaded hand gun. Zimmerman had a known record of pushing his voluntary neighborhood watch job to strange limits, and on that fateful night he was told by 911 operators to remain back and not pursue Martin. He disobeyed, and today we have one less 17 year old able to contribute to our society. Who started the altercation is not what is important, it is who ended it. Trayvon Martin’s past as a “troublemaker” is irrelevant. George Zimmerman fired away and took the life of an innocent young adult. No one will ever know what Trayvon might have accomplished in the future. No one ever will. However we should all take away the following things from his death.
Trayvon has poked quite the hole in our legal system. It is legal to shoot another man dead, if you feel like your life is in danger. If you “feel” like your life is in danger. George Zimmerman’s feeling of danger is completely personal. His feelings of danger and mine could be, and probably are, completely different. The legal system does not take morals into account. However to have a law, one that can decide life or death for somebody else, based on whether or not he or she “feels like” their life is in danger, is absolutely nonsensical. George Zimmerman will live for a long time in protective custody. At 28 years of age and hidden beneath a blanket of security, Zimmerman will contribute next to nothing to our society.
Things need to change. Morality is all we as humans have as a gage of right or wrong. A law should not infringe upon our moral decision making. A law should also not rely on the opinion of another to decide whether or not a life can be taken. Trayvon is this day and ages Emmett Till. A gage for where we are at as a society. A gage for where our legal system stands. Sure, Zimmerman was innocent on all counts, but what does that matter in a faulty legal system with a horrific track record? Zimmerman made a mistake, he disobeyed orders and acted upon his desire to be a hero, chasing down Trayvon simply because he looked suspicious. Martin did not die in vain. The events that occurred on February 26th 2012, and the trial that followed, will be remembered as a turning point in our society; a turning point that leads to improvement, or regression.
Where will we stand as a society now? Will we continue to be numb to the violence that we hear about every day, or will we, as individuals, make a stand. We will not change the law that acquitted George Zimmerman. What we can do is prevent the death of another, and avoid ever seeing another trial where the “stand your ground” law comes into effect. Will you continue to live in fear and suspicion of the next person that walks by you, or will you think rationally about the situation before you act upon your emotions?
The future of this world is exclusively in our hands. We have the power to stop the violence, but we also have the power to let it progress. From this day forward, killing someone makes you no different, and no better, than George Zimmerman. Don’t let Trayvon’s death go in vain, think about him before you involve yourself in violence. It is up to us to stop the violence, use Trayvon’s death as an awakening for a new era of armistice. Love for Trayvon. Peace for Trayvon. Change for Trayvon. Rest In Peace.