However, it was not a movie. The brazen and brutal murder of
United Health Care CEO, Brian Thompson, as captured by security cameras, is
both shocking and disturbing. It really shows a cold-blooded assassination of
an innocent man. Yes, I said innocent. And there within begins the New-Age
paradigm of guilt not by fact, but by insinuation, association, and inuendo.
In today’s era of mass media participation, i.e. the
internet, the reaction to the killing was both swift and, in many ways, telling
of how we function as a society. This man’s wanton murder was soon used to make
an indictment of his character BECAUSE of his profession – the head of a major Health
Care provider. Some even elevated the assassin to hero status.
Now, at this point, let me make something perfectly clear; I
am NOT a fan of the Insurance Industry in general and in the Health Care part
of it in particular. No matter what their ads says about how much they care
about people, their PRIME motivation is PROFIT. The exorbitant salaries of the
leaders of these companies (like Mr. Thompson) are a testament to their
companies’ wealth. As a photographer covering some of the large insurance
companies’ annual meetings, I can assure you that they are ALL about the profit
margin.
And the idea that a company we pay monthly and who makes
enormous profits would/could/does deny life saving health to its customers is
abhorrent. Something certainly needs to be done about this.
However, MURDER is NOT one of them!
Many, and I mean millions of people, have at least condoned
this murder if not actually celebrated it. And I understand their
frustration and anger. Virtually all of us, and some more so than others, have
been stung by our Health Care Provider making it difficult, if not impossible,
to pay for the care we legitimately need. Certainly, some have lost loved ones
by being denied critical care or lifesaving drugs simply because of money. I
know some of these people personally. It’s heartbreaking, incorrigible, and
indefensible. The very idea that innocent people die based on decisions made by
executives solely to increase their already ample salaries makes me viscerally sick.
However, we cannot fall into the trap of yielding to our
anger so easily, even when we believe it to be righteous. It is simply immoral
to wish wanton violence on another human being, especially one that you know nothing
more of than he makes a lot of money in a less than popular business.
Again, it’s easy to focus one’s rage on a single individual rather than try to
topple an entire industry. But that only further debases us, putting us on the
same level as the people we’ve come to loathe.
Most of use are familiar with the Biblical saying, “An eye
for an eye,” etc. And it certainly appeals to our sense of righteous rage. But
there is a newer, more apt rendering of the ancient quote. It is often most
attributed to Mahatma Ghandi:
“An eye for an eye just leaves the whole world blind.”
It’s the Holiday Season – you know, the one about “being of
good cheer, Peace on Earth, Good Will to All, etc.” But instead of being so caught up with the
blatant commercialism of it all, take a moment to remember the REAL reason for
the season. Again, those who are familiar with my writing will know this is not
an endorsement of one religious practice over another (yes, it’s OK to say
Happy “Holidays” because there are so many to celebrate). For me, it’s another
chance to be better, to do things more compassionately and to allow more light
into my life. Celebrating the taking of the life of another human being to soothe
your sense of divine justice is simply wrong. We can do better.
