Dear You Part 12

Dear You,

What were you thinking? Or perhaps the more appropriate question is ‘Why weren’t you thinking?’ Millions of people have now seen you, your actions, the destruction you’ve brought about and the devastation left behind after your acts of insane violence, and I have to ask, was it worth it? Did it solve anything? Does destroying someone else’s property make you feel good? How about when you woke up this morning whether in a cell or at home because you skulked away before you got caught, did you have remorse or even think about what those people are going to do without their cars? Without windows on their shops? I don’t think I need to point out that not only have your actions caused deep shame and embarrassment for your city, your country, but your economy will suffer now, too. All those businesses have to clean up after you, since you’re obviously not going to help. Some may have to close in order to put to rights what you set in motion last night when you destroyed it, others will stay open but receive less business because of the shattered glass that lines the streets, shattered by countless thoughtless people who incited this chaos just because. I wonder if you even thought about that before the first tipped car, the first busted window. My guess would be no.

There are moments that define us, times that are telling of who we are as people and show our true natures. In this moment, you have turned the peaceful, friendly definition of your city into a foolish mess. A mess that will be cleaned up by those around you to try and put some semblance of your former self together. It might be a while before that happens, though. It’s sickening and sad that it has to be done in the first place.

So many of us on the other side sat silently and watched live footage of the destruction you wrought. Our voices wouldn’t have been heard if we’d used them anyway because of your berserk behavior, like a spell cast upon you in the midst of battle. It felt so unreal to watch. It was terrifying, mortifying. To be reduced to a mindless beast is a scary thing. People who were witnesses said it was like a war zone, it no longer felt like they were in their city, but some place far away in the middle of war strewn streets.  They watched as strangers, neighbors, and friends transformed so easily into unrecognizable creatures. How do you think they fared through all of it?

I don’t need to reiterate just how brutally heartbreaking it was to see you like that.

I don’t need to explain any further that you did wrong.

I hope that you take the broken pieces and try to help build a stronger city, a stronger you.

But I can hope from here to eternity and it might not do a thing.

**A**