Reflections on Violence, Hatred, and the Death of Charlie Kirk
As I reflect on the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday, one detail refuses to leave my mind–it happened on September 10—just one day before September 11. Was that timing intentional?
I don’t need to remind you what September 11 means. If you’re reading this, you know its weight. That day reshaped America forever. To many, it was a moment of unity—at least at first. But the years that followed fractured us in ways we still feel. The “war on terror” cost countless lives abroad and claimed far too many of our own men and women in uniform.
What pains me most is that we solemnly honor those who died on September 11, but those who died in our wars are rarely remembered. Yet, year after year, this day is invoked to justify new wars, new enemies, and new hatreds. “Fighting terrorism” too often means seeking vengeance for that terrible day, with “terrorists” being anyone who looks like those who attacked us.
I am among those who believe violence does not create peace. Violence may demonstrate power over the “other,” but at what cost?
Our greatest national sickness is how easily we turn fellow human beings into “others.” If someone does not look like us, speak like us, believe like us, or vote like us, we strip them of humanity. We treat them as expendable—worthy of contempt, exclusion, even destruction.
This is the soil from which political assassinations grow. To believe that Charlie Kirk’s murder is an isolated act is to ignore the climate we have allowed to fester. We are a nation stripped of political decency. Words that demean and dehumanize are now celebrated as normal. Until we reclaim our common humanity—our ubuntu—we are all targets of the very hatred we stoke.
My dear friends, no one is safe. Our obsession with guns makes it worse. As long as weapons of war roam our streets, assassinations will not be rare—they will be inevitable.
If we think this will fix itself, we are fooling ourselves. We reward politicians not for building bridges, but for burning them. We vote for whoever can demonize “the other side” most effectively. If they demonize Democrats, Republicans cheer. If they demonize Republicans, Democrats cheer. Hence the cycle continues. If we do not break it, our democracy will not simply weaken—it will turn deadly. Political disagreement will no longer be a debate; it will be a death sentence.
We are at a crossroads. We can continue down this path of division, or we can choose another way—a way that leads to peace, understanding, and the hard but necessary work of reconciliation.
America is better than endless enmity. It can be a place where political differences are argued with passion but without fear. It can be a place where no one has to fear for their life because of what they believe.This sacred work begins with us all—re-learning to see one another as human, and acting like it.
May God provide healing and grace to the Kirks as they mourn, and guard all in public office.
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From the E-Crier of September 11, 2025. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter.