Charlie Kirk’s Murder is Close to Home
Founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot in the neck just a few minutes after beginning his talk at Utah Valley University, not far from our home. UVU is a campus nestled under rising, protective mountains, filled with Latter-day Saint students, in a valley that we always somehow believe is safe. We cling to the illusion that it is far from the violence and chaos that is rocking so much of the world, but, of course, we are wrong. The evil, like silent tendrils, is creeping everywhere.
Kirk was a 31-year-old father of two, who organized a political movement beginning at age 18, to give conservative students a stronger voice and their ideas a place on campus. He wanted to rally behind the Constitution, religion, and the freemarket system and he was shot under a tent for an America Comeback ralley. He, who was a champion for free speech, was shot for raising his voice.
Our own family chatbox lit up as soon as Charlie, was shot. This sniper’s bullet felt personal because it happened so near to us and to someone with such a vital life left to give. The texts from family came quickly, “I’m sick and can’t catch my breath.” “I feel sick too.” “Horrifying.” These were accompanied by many comments of relief that our grandson, a UVU student, is out of town and was not there. The sadness and fear on the text string was palpable.
It was all sudden, surprising, a sniper’s bullet piercing the peace of a usually quiet place. It was a politicallly-targeted assasination, meant to silence ideas.
Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was there, said that Utah was like the last place on the planet this would happen. Yet, really, there is no last place. Our innocence is shattered.
At the same time, while Charlie’s fate was still unclear, a nation called for prayers. “Pray for Charlie in his darkest moment,” many pled online.
What has drummed through my head are a few lines from John Donne’s famous poem, “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” It used to be that in English villages, the church bell would signal when someone died by ringing. It was called the death knell. Donne’s poem was based on that.
No man is an island
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main…Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
We are diminished by the senseless murders like Charlie Kirk’s at UVU or Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train. We are less when violence strikes children at a Catholic school who are praying. We remember something. We are a part of the whole. All murders are close to home. We are involved in all mankind and right now we are shrinking, shrinking because we have been taught to hate each other, to blame the victim, to celebrate upheaval. We have been told we must deconstruct our society, our language, our families, our religions, most basic values. We are told to silence our voices. We watch as a voice was silenced today. The bell tolls for all of us when others become victims to evil intent and ideas that raise a sniper’s gun.
The Church released this statement about Charlie Kirk’s death:
It is with great sadness that we learn of the shooting that took place at Utah Valley University resulting in the death of Charlie Kirk. Our prayers go out to his family at this time. We condemn violence and lawless behavior. We also pray that we may treat one another with greater kindness, compassion and goodness. For members of the Church, we reaffirm the Savior’s teaching and admonition is to love our neighbor.