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In reply to the discussion: What I really cannot comprehend is how young people [View all]haele
(12,639 posts)There's still the magical "I'm the center of the world" aura around youth that can work as a reinforcement to their actions, no matter what the outcome will be. It's all about them, and how their acts allow them to fit in with their chosen peer groups.
Once they hit 13, it's typically all about their peers, and no matter how good parents you were, how good an environment they grew up in - all bets are off, and you can only hope they've got enough ethical compass and good habits and enough activities and interests to fill their hours and help them to fall in with a positive enough peer group to be able to make it into adulthood with the least amount of trouble.
Mind you, we don't complain if their interests and need for peer acceptance pushes them to excel in school so they can get the career they want. It's when they can't figure out what to do with their lives, and their need for peer acceptance is influenced by gang members, nihilists, racists, or dominionists that we cry "What went wrong?" and start talking about mental illness or poor family dynamics, or other moral failings. When for the most part, it's youthful stubborn pride and a set of nasty-minded negative peers they want to impress.
If you've raised teenagers, you will find if they want to do something badly enough, they can easily put on an act and put up with all sorts of events they would normally complain about just to lull you into enough complacency that they think is needed to be able to get away with what they want to do.
If he had already made up his mind to terrorize and kill, the natural selfishness of immaturity paired with the belief in his purpose could easily filter out any potential sympathy for his victims. It would be no worse to him than sitting up in a deer stand, watching a herd at distance, and waiting for his target(s) to come into range so he could make a clean kill.
He believes with the intensity of youth. He didn't have to be schizophrenic, or paranoid, or have some sort of personality disorder. He knew what he was doing and he had a reason to do it, whether or not we as a civil society believe it is a good reason or not.
He believes he is a freedom fighter, even though he is a terrorist.
Haele