The events of the last few days has made me wonder about people. What makes people do what they do?

I know psychologists and sociologists have been trying to figure this out for generations, but are we any closer to an answer?

Of course, to think about animals, one realizes that they act merely on instinct. The don't really think, at least not like humans. They aren't consciously aware of the souls of other animals.

So, in this sense animals aren't really evil. Even though a cat will toy with a terrified mouse, it's not really evil. At least not consciously. It is focused, with no concern for how the mouse feels. Only that it will kill and probably eat the mouse.

People, on the other hand, are conscious of everything they do.

Which is why I'm deeply troubled about the abduction and murder of the recent high school graduate in Kansas City. Another bright light snuffed out for no good reason at all. So much potential lost.

So, I find myself spending more resources than I probably should trying to rationalize what happened. Trying to figure out why anyone would do this to someone else. What makes a guy like the one who did this? Was he abused as a child? Merely neglected? Were there no warning signs? Did he have any friends? Or did he have trouble getting dates?

Did this young lady turn him down at some point? Or did he just randomly choose her? Did they know each other?

If someone is not "socially educated" enough to actively meet people (read "girls") and make friends and find dates, etc. there is always something one can change about himself. One fundamental flaw of people is that they rarely see that they can change themselves... and think that society must change.

Now, that doesn't explain this character... but it may scratch the surface. However, now he has done something he will carry with him for the rest of his life. He changed himself, and not for the better. He gave up and rather than make a decision to change for the better, he ended someone else's life and forever changed the direction of her family's and friends' lives.

This also makes me think of the story from a month or two ago about the grade school child who was suspended from school for killing a mother duck and her ducklings that the school had adopted. He did it becase he "felt like it."

Again, what creates a person like this? Granted there are somethings I've done because I "felt like it," and some of them are probably considered sinful, but no life was taken, no one was hurt, no property was taken.

Yes, there are things that I want. But there are rules, and personally, I enjoy the challenge of acquiring the things that I want by playing by the rules. That is part of what fascinates me about the law, and has me working towards law school. Will what I learn in school help me as I establish my own business, make new friends and socialize and date beautiful women? Yes.

And what I don't learn from teachers in school, I can learn by reading books, attending seminars, listening to interviews and audiobooks, etc. A feeding of the mind, if you will.

While I'm on the topic of rules, I'm going to touch on the Paris Hilton thing for a moment.

Ok, most of my friends think I'm insane, because I have a thing for Ms. Hilton. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I'm drawn to her.

Setting that aside, I do feel sorry for her because she's being jerked around. No, not by the legal system... she did the crime, she should do the time.

However, the sheriff should not have let her go into home arrest. Especially in an unnecessarily overpublicized case like this. It makes the entire system look bad, and it draws more attention to the circus than it deserves.

The sheriff defied the judge presiding the case, and some sort of pennance should be handed down for that. In the meantime, Paris, who is innocent of what has happened since turning herself in to do the time (except maybe for wanting to go home, but who in jail doesn't want to go home?). Stripped from her "celeb power," someone made the decision she's to stay in jail, making an explicit order that she will not do house arrest. Someone else, whether through pity or a legitimate excuse, allows her to leave after she's settled in and probably doing fine... with more conveniences than you or I would have in jail. Even if there was a legitimate excuse, the paperwork should have gone through the proper channels BEFORE she's allowed to go home.

So, of course, the media circus is all revved up talking about "celebrity privilege" and "celebrity justice" and making a mockery of the entire system... including the judge who did the right thing (and had to do the right thing again) and Ms. Hilton who also did the right thing (although she should keep her mouth shut instead of playing the sympathy card... did she really learn anything about why what she did is wrong?).

And this is the world we live in today. Is it any wonder I rarely read the newspaper or watch television? I think I'm much happier in my "mindfeed" materials than in current events. MUCH happier!