Viewing the incident through apocalyptic logic brings into focus the right’s insistence they are living in an embattled, violent world—and explains why so many will not entertain the possibility that Renee Good’s shooting was plainly murder.  

Some real-­life actions, like the storming of the Capitol on January 6, seem fueled by a set of rules and narratives that are encountered in game-like ways. Indeed, participants seem to thrive in acting as if their most offensive activities are both very serious and not serious at all.

The uncertainty of hope is a gift.

Responsibility remains for injustice even if we aren’t sure how to repair things. We should care enough to try.

“I didn’t mean the demonic part in an offensive way.”

Our inability to decide what in the killer’s past “caused” him to shoot Kirk is evidence that the emotional triggers for his rage may be less important than the fact that he was filled with rage and had a trigger to pull.

The easy answer? Shoot the bad guy. The hard answer? Figure out what you mean by “evil.”