I was shocked and alarmed when I heard it on the AM radio late this afternoon and read it on my Twitter feed. They called it crime of passion when a 13-year old boy shot his alleged 17-year old gay lover at SM Mall in Pampanga. There surely was a security lapse when the 22 caliber gun was not detected by security people at the said mall.
It was further said that the two met at a popular social networking site. In cases like this, can one blame the parents for what the child did? Obviously, he is still a child and they are both teenagers and minors.Where do you draw the line between blaming the parents and friends or the people they meet outside the home? How could a 13-year old easily get hold of a gun and use it in a fit of jealousy? There must be something deeper, probably in the family make-up that drove this teen to do what he did. Is communication open in the family? Do the parents know what the child is going through? I am a parent too and I understand that the generations nowadays are more outspoken, more outgoing, more creative and more daring than the kids we have ten or twenty years ago. Would this reflect on the family values and how they were brought up by their parents? If you are a God-fearing individual and fear of doing something fatal like trying to kill is anathema to you, then this won’t really happen.
What does a 13-year old know about true love? Undoubtedly, it is a selfish kind of love. It only knows how to take and not how to give. It’s so pathetic that some people would resort to violence when they could not get what they want. True, we live in a crazy world, influenced by so many factors and peer pressure. Sometimes, we just go with the flow without weighing how it would affect our lives and the lives of others in the long run. I am of the belief that if God dwells in your heart, you won’t even think of hurting other people. If your faith is strong enough, prayers would help.
Definitely, there are lots of downsides in using social networking sites. Some parents are not even aware of their children using these platforms and don’t even know who they meet online. Some could project a different personality without one being aware, some could hide behind fictitious names too. One could be an easy target so we must all be responsible in using social media.
Dreams And Escapes 