Now that the situation is considered done, there will probably be a lot of questions lingering. We know a lot of the history behind an ex-LAPD and former naval officer going on a rampage. What we may want to know is what were the stressors that made him act out so violently.
Certainly this was someone with a lot of pain. The media was replete with stories of him being teased in youth because of his skin color and cultural background. They also talked a lot about him being released from the police department for allegedly lying about his fellow officers being involved in corruption. In his hearing, his defense in which he was represented by a police captain was unsuccessful.
He carried around a lot of anger, resentment and frustration. He seemed to see himself as the victim and attempts to assert himself and garner respect were to no avail.
We all encounter frustrations in our lives. How often do we feel at the mercy of a tyrannical, uncompromising boss, or a political system that seems to reward only the very well-to-do? How many times have we felt cheated by a business or service and unable to get vindication?
With all the frustration in our lives, we don't go off, arm ourselves, and take revenge. We just deal with it the best we can, learn from it for the next time, then go on with our lives.
Christopher Dorner, unfortunately, didn't want to let it go. He had too much injustice in his life. He probably felt that "the system" was against him and his only recourse was to take matters into his own hands.
If most if us had read his story as is, we probably would have sympathised, even empathized, with him. He probably would have made a great talk-show guest, talking about his experiences and how he felt powerless against those in control. Perhaps such publicity might have even got him the opportunity to re-plead his case with the LAPD under different circumstances. And he may have finally get the vindication he wanted.
Tragically, that was not to be. Public opinion was against him as soon as he took a life. His desire to take back control of his destiny was so extreme, fueled by his anger, that he seemingly didn't care about the consequences.
Many of us who feel we've been wronged may have similar thoughts about exacting revenge. Of course we would never carry them out. We all have senses of social order and know that the consequences would far outway any temporary feelings of victory. We know that even when it doesn't work, society stills needs that law and order to function properly, and that ultimately, justice does prevail.
Christopher Dorner was a trained soldier. For him, firing weapons was part of his life. Taking another life was also part if his life. That mind-set may be what allowed him to act on his revenge.
At this point we're not going to know. We can only speculate based on his history and behavior. Perhaps we can look at the big picture here and use some of the information to help us intervene on the next potential Chris Dorner.
Finally, we may have to deal with the incongruity of feeling bad foe him that he faced so much injustice, but feeling good that a killer met with his justice.
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