The Greyhound Killer

Conversations about the Greyhound killer and his victim are heard everywhere - in the news, among friends and even children. The victim, Tim McLean is from Winnipeg and his friends and family mourns his loss.

As usual everyone pours out all that is good about the victim. Why can't we tell people how wonderful they are when they are alive when they can hear it and when it really matters. Have you ever sent an email to a friend or a person whom you think highly of and say, "hey man I think you are just a great person, you are so kind and easy to get along with, so full of life and I admire that" Wouldn't that be nice?

The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Tim McLean of Winnipeg and the killer who beheaded Tim with a Rambo-styled knife is 40 year old Vince Weiguang Li. He lived in an apartment in downtown Edmonton, Alberta and worked at McDonald's restaurant. Everyone described him as a quiet, nice person and a good worker.

We really do not know people as much as we think we do. People show us what they want us to see and except for the exceptionally astute people we never look and listen beyond words people speak in ways and the smiles in ways that cover up their true feelings and intent. Perhaps if we were not so busy with out lives, perhaps if we listened more to each other we could know when trouble is brewing and take action.

For a man to commit such a senseless act, he must be crying for help or attention, he must be crazy, he must have been hurt by society or he must have some connection with this person he killed. People just do not do these things in their right minds.

Li must have felt feeling something as he walked with his head bowed, bound and shackled and refusing to hire a lawyer to defend him. He is prepared to meet whatever fate we have for him. Has he woken up from his stupor, his psychotic craze and guiltridden and so ashamed that he cannot even raise his head to look at his accusers?

The human animal comes out every now and then and we get into that mode of kill or be killed whatever it is that provokes the feeling of such intense fear in us that pushes us to our primal mode of being in the world (flight or fright). It's the human mind that goes wonky. Real human beings are not that cruel.

I always say there are standards for being human, just because a person walks like a human, looks like a human and eats like a human does not mean that he is a human.