My fear is that the death of Charlie Kirk will be a catalyst for something much worse. Something much darker.

We as a nation are deeply broken. We live in a society that has isolated itself from humanity. We hide behind screens and seek out voices that affirm our thoughts, and we spiral further into rabbit holes filled with the words we dare not say aloud. They reflect our darkest impulses.

Charlie Kirk, whatever you think of his opinions and his politics, was a man who believed in the freedom of speech and, more importantly, the freedom to debate ideas. He was hosting an event where he invited those who disagreed with him to come up and share those disagreements. To debate ideas. And he was killed for it.

In 2020, we closed up shop as a country. We sat, isolated in our homes, scrolling endlessly through social media bubbles we built for ourselves. I say bubbles, but in truth, many of us constructed lead-lined bunkers that not even X-ray vision could see through.

The result has been catastrophic on our collective psyche. We no longer view people we disagree with as people. We dehumanize them to the point where a broken soul can take their life without considering it taking a life. It takes an incredibly broken mind to detach both themselves and their “enemies” from humanity enough that taking a life doesn’t feel like taking a life to them. It is just another act of defending oneself from a more nebulous “threat to democracy.”

This has not been helped by many voices in the media who have encouraged the use of hostile rhetoric. They have called conservatives Nazis, fascists, authoritarians, threats to democracy, and worse. Democratic politicians have stoked the political fires by encouraging supporters to get in Republicans’ faces and interrupt their meals at restaurants. They have danced dangerously close to the line of threatening conservative politicians and even judges.

People who were isolated and allowed to retreat from humanity saw and heard all of this, and they internalized that Republicans and conservatives were a threat to the country. And some of them decided to take matters into their own hands in the most vile way possible.

My biggest fear is that some on the right will want vengeance. Fighting back against the left has been our battle cry for years now, and it has ramped up in response to what the left has said and done. Each side feeds off the other, and I am deeply concerned some on our side will escalate.

Pray, friends.

Pray for Kirk’s family. His wife and young children. Pray for those who were close to him. And also pray for the shooter. Pray for his or her broken soul. They are lost to their darkness. That’s not a call for mercy or grace by any means. We should, as a society, demand justice for this terrible crime. But we should pray for a soul that is so broken that they could stand on a rooftop and fire at someone over a difference of opinion.

Charlie Kirk believed we are a nation built on the foundation of debate and justice. He believed in the freedom of speech and the right to debate ideas in the public square. He did not believe his opponents should be murdered in cold blood. And he believed in justice.

We are a country built on the idea of justice. We sought justice from a tyranny across the ocean. We fought for justice for those unrepresented in the ruling class. Throughout our history, we have pushed for equal rights and justice. We have been imperfect, but we have fought to get better each and every time.

We are not a nation built on vengeance. I pray we don’t become one.