Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of murdering 2 people and wounding a third just over an hour ago. This sucks for believers of “Justice” and for the families of the 3 victims who were shot by Kyle with a gun he wasn’t even legally allowed to possess. How that wasn’t the start and finish to this trial, I don’t know.
As I try to make sense of all this, I’m also very mindful of this morning’s DBT. In the course of the discussion, I was asked to describe myself (or at least my ideal self). As someone with BPD, I often struggle with this question. One of the symptoms of BPD is a poor sense of self-identity. So then the question was changed to what superhero would I be if I could be a superhero. Batman. The answer to that is always easy and when my counselor asked why it was easy, I was reminded of a memory with my father.
I was very young, only 6 or so, and he was reading me Batman comics while we both laid in bed on a lazy Saturday morning. He was a fan of the character and he was sharing that fandom with me. That excitement, joy, whatever Batman brought him, he was reveling in with just me. It was an incredibly special bond we shared. The fact that he’s no longer around to share that connection with continues to fill me with sadness. It was about this point in the session that I noticed I was crying. Stupid, Chris, got me to cry again. No, wait… crying is important. Crying is healthy.
Superheroes allow us to believe in justice. They give us something to strive for. An ideal to yearn for. Justice is possible someday but for today… appreciate what you have in life. Your parents, your children, your siblings, and your friends. Because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. All you have is right now.