Anger

We had a lesson Sunday on the talk given by (I believe) President Faust in the May conference regarding Anger. In that talk he retold the story of the milk man and the Amish community. (Quick recap: The milk man one day went into the little Amish school, released the boys and the teachers then shot all 10 girls killing 5 and wounding the other five. He then killed himself).

They talk about all the christian displays of forgiveness as the Amish community frankly forgave and even comforted the family of the milk man. I am impressed and very inspired by that little community.

HOWEVER

If you have been following the police case about "Baby Grace". I can't help but be angry.

(Another recap: "Baby Grace" is the unidentified 2 year old found in a plastic box in a bay in Texas. The police believed they found the parents, and the mother has admitted to tourturing and killing the little girl.)

I understand that regardless of my justification in being angry, I should let go my anger and forgive the parents of that little girl for what they did. Furthermore, they have not done ANYTHING directly to me or any of my loved ones.

That being said, I am a father, and my concience, beliefs, and love for my own little girl seem to require my outrage toward those people.

There are days when my little angel ponies up next to my ear and screems at the top of her lungs, or throws food on the floor even though she knows better, or tries to eat things that aren't intended for the digestion system, etc.

I admit, my brain has been rattled from time to time by my little Sarah. But NOTHING as come close to making me WANT to harm her.

Even the "Shaking Baby" syndrome is based on a parent wanting to stop a childs suffering, not inflict more suffering on the child.

The whole incident reminds me of the scripture "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. " (1st Nephi 21:15)

I've wondered since Sarah arrived in our arms, how could a woman forget her child? How could any parent not be willing to lay down their life for a child... Any child, let alone their own.

And here we have an example of a young mother participating in the actual distruction of her own child's life.

I haven't reached perfection, I know that because I want to punish the murderers. I want them to feel the pain they inflicted upon the poor child. I want them to suffer and understand that they have destroyed LIFE.

I want the boyfriend to find out that "The Art of Warcraft" is not a reality in which you can pretend to hurt a person. War is war, and life is life.

Those parents have destroyed life, and I blame their infatuation with cyber-violence as one of the causes of their stupidity. But, I believe the cure is to let them FEEL the pain for what they have done.