Looking Into The Abyss

"One day, men will look back and say I gave birth to the twentieth century."
- Jack The Ripper

This article is an update of the Petit family murder in Connecticut. The details speak for themselves, and the crime was brutal enough to bother even seasoned cops. What sets Joshua Komisarjevsky apart from other murderers is his self-awareness. He used the words "a terrible feeling" to describe what prompted him to kill.

The recipe is one we can recognize. Komisarjevsky claims to have been sexually abused as a child, and determines this was the turning point. He broke into "hundreds" of homes by the time he was a teenager, and so follows the spiral leading to drug abuse and other red flags. He claims he sometimes broke into homes just to watch people breathe. He pulled little pranks such as moving photographs around to confuse and scare his victims. He stalked animals and perfected the art of moving without making a sound. He bathed his daughter while deciding this was the night he was going to terrorize and murder a family, his whole life an exercise building to this inevitable act.

Millions of Americans are on the brink of losing everything. According to many sources, alcoholism is on the rise, especially for women and teens. Prescription pills and marijuana use is also spiking, as we begin to seek an escape from the pressure all around. Child abuse is on the rise. Educational programs are being cut as budgets shrink. Resources for intervention and preventative measures for kids at risk are suffering. The link between economical difficulty and child abuse is theoretical but makes sense. The correlation between child abuse and drug abuse is clear. What we have here is a perfect storm for a new generation of predators. A little foresight can go a long way. Keep this in mind when we shrug and "meh" our way through yet another round of belt tightening.

The abyss is returning our gaze. It is important that we not overreact, but that we are aware of the monsters created in our midst.