I’m more than happy to talk about your points such as whether or not it’s humane, but I think that misses the point of the article. I agree that violence seems like a runaway train in many places, but I think there are many great examples of peaceful people taking a stand, sticking to their convictions, and turning a violence into peace (for example, Gandhi and Martin Luther King). I think you’re right that we’re much more likely to band together in the face of violence and adversity, but I believe we can and do need to learn to band together to solve all the problems that confront us as a people. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I believe it can be done if people are willing to take a chance on peace.

Yes, enforcing the death penalty says something about us as a society, but it seems we generally agonize over each decision. For the most part, this same society seems to be satisfied with using tax money to keep a good number of creeps alive in jail for the rest of their miserable lives. The death penalty is certainly no deterent to violent crime, so the only rationale appears to be ridding us of these violent types through, yes, more violence. Is it retribution for their crimes? That’s one way to look at it, and indeed, that would seem to perpetuate violance, notwithstanding the ostensibly humane approach employed in ending the criminal’s life. But is there really any acceptable alternative?

I don’t know that having and enforcing the death penalty reflects our violent tendancies as a nation, but maybe so. It would be nice to believe that lighting a candle can help provide enlightenment at many levels. The reality is that there a fraction of a percentage of our society that gives the rest of us all these issues to grapple with, and we like to think that we as a society are sufficiently advanced and our moral compasses so dead-on that we know what to do. Should we have better and more proactive public health programs to deal with the warped and violent? Sure. Should there be less violence on TV? Yep. Should we, as a nation, be more responsible and less arrogant citizens of the world? You betcha! (Sorry for the unintended Sarah Palin expression). Should we finally address the gun control issue? Duh. And please don’t send any lame “guns don’t kill, people kill” or “right to bear arms” responses.

No one wants to live in a violent society, but in many places, it’s a runaway train, and the only way to stop it is to shoot out the tires (mixing metaphors, I know). We are our best when we band together, but I fear the only times we tend to rise up is in response to some tragic, violent event.

I’ll light a candle — everyday if it would help — and I’ll remain hopeful that the collective light of all our candles will provide the illumination we need. But I’ll also remain skeptical that an easy solution is just beyond the light…