Thinking about the Wesleyan shooting, bad things and a career in criminal defense (once someone will let me have one!!)

I also first thought there has to be something else- what is that something else?  And usually that something is untreated mental illness. Because, well, most simply, mentally healthy people don't do things like this. It has still not failed to astound me,  the strange catch-22 of violent criminal behavior... 

I think that reaction and question is good, though, too, because at least for me its an inability/unwillingness to believe in people being just pure evil. I prefer to live in a world where people do terrible things because they're sick or addicted or horribly abused by people who are sick or addicted, than one where they are just evil.** 

More than once more cynical classmates have implied this makes me naive.  That's (insulting and) just not true. Perhaps if something being "god's plan" makes you feel better, you'll also feel better just knowing someone is evil. But neither works for me.  It's too easy and sadistic to just want to punish people because they are "bad." It is much harder to look at people individually and try to see how they are the way they are.  It's harder because sometimes identifying the discrete ways someone who has broken the social code is different than you is a frightening examination of yourself. And, just to answer the cynics, none of this makes it ok.  It is completely possible to both want and work for the best outcome for the person while being truly disgusted by what they did. I sent a letter to an inmate today who had a on-going relationship with a 12 year old and wanted to reduce his sentence because she had her period on one of the dates of the sexual assaults he was convicted of.  So, um, believe me, it's very possible to be completely disgusted as a person and still give some darn good advice.  

Little of this has to do with the events of the past day + now.  But, so be it.

** I am not convinced taking advantage of a position of power isn't evil... there are some members of the last administration I'd be willing to concede on.