Tragic Flaw

Like everyone else in the world, I was shocked at the recent arrest of Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius and even more shocked that the charge was murder of his girlfriend Reena Steenkamp.

I don't know what happened. I know that a young woman is dead and that police had been called to the home previously for domestic violence issues. Oscar Pistorius is the only living soul who knows and he says he shot who he thought was a burglar. The police dismissed that theory immediately. I really want to believe it because I want it to be true.  It is possible, I suppose, but not very plausible.

The whole sordid story is very Shakespearean. He was the hero of his own making brought down by his own doing. He had a tragic flaw that led to his ruin. Pistorious overcame unbelievable adversity to compete in the Olympic games. A foot racer without feet. Unimaginable.Heroic.Moving. He was the epitome of grace and sportsmanship throughout the Olympic games. Now we see a darker side that is anything but.

 Many thought his "flaw" was physical. Many defined him by his disability. But there was more to the story. There always is. Usually it's something good that no one sees because they cannot see past the disability. In a TV movie he would be a senstitive artist or the savior of the town or something. But in real life that's not the case. Often there is no happy ending. Certainly not in this story, no matter what the truth turns out to be.

Human beings some in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ability levels. We cannot define them by any of those traits. Some humans are good. Some humans are bad. Some get caught in terrible circumstances. Some do terrible things. Some are tragically flawed.



Rest in Peace Reena Steenkamp