His hands bloodied by hacking a British soldier to death, he stood engaged in conversation by a woman passer-by. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, horror struck, but insistent. On her way home from visiting family in France, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett found herself in the middle of a murder scene. Most of the witnesses were keeping safely away, or had fled. She, and several other women stood by the stricken soldier. “Why, why?” she asked. The killer answered that it was payback for the killing of Muslims in his land.
Would you stand nearly toe to toe with a murderer, bloody knife in hand? Would you dare to confront him about his motive? Was this woman foolish, or wondrously courageous, and even compassionate? Compassionate I muse, though some may recoil at the prospect. How could one show compassion for such a man? Many would say he deserves no fellow-feeling whatsoever. He is inhuman, a beast, a devil, deserving only our condemnation. This was not her view, obviously. Standing firm and daring to engage him she demonstrated that he no less than any other deserves to be listened to, not agreed with, but listened to at the very least. Her character is so stunning it invites incredulity. Perhaps she really cared nothing for him, but only wanted to satisfy a morbid curiosity? Yet, she could have found answers later, safe at home reading the morning paper. Instead, she stood her ground, looked him in the eye, and unwavering asked, “Why are you doing this?”
That must have been an extradinary experience in so many ways for you. Both horrifying and amazing. I like to think that she stood her ground and just wanted to know WHY because what just happened was so unbelievable. “Why are you doing this?” is a good question we should each be asking ourselves often during our waking hours. We often do things during our day that is automatic and often thoughtless in someway. That also includes things we say to others. Thanks so much for sharing that experience with us.
Thanks for your comment, Tottie. I was still in London when this incident took place, but I didn’t experience it. I read about it in the next day’s paper.