3
" Buntley’s argument emerged from a pragmatic observation: children were, at heart, selfish. “One may claim, with some measure of truth, that all mankind shares this egotistical aspect. However, it is most pronounced in the young, for whom hands of the clock hold no sway. Past and future do not exist; there is only the eternal present, which is to say, the desire of the mind in the moment. One may as well cry at the rising tide as fight against this tendency. Therefore we do not fight it. We allow it to exist. Only in freedom will the child come to integrate both halves of the personality, the Shadow and the Light. "
― Jonathan Kellerman , A Measure of Darkness (Clay Edison, #2)
13
" Although it’s an unfortunate fact that Coroner’s cases are often young. Young people are disproportionately likely to die of violence. I suspect, rather, it was the general feeling of failure, the collective guilt, that permeates the unit following any mass casualty event. Reality has gone off the rails. What did we do to get here? Why didn’t we do something to prevent it? Deep down, we know we’re powerless. We’re not on the front lines. And those on the front lines are pretty much powerless themselves. All of us, however, would like to imagine that we’re contributing in some small way to keeping the world orderly. Then comes along a stark reminder to the contrary. Then come the families. Whose photos are no longer accurate. Whose calendars have acquired a hideous new holiday. Those broken apart by grief; those already broken, for whom death will provide the worst reason to mend fences. The mothers emptied, like amputees of the heart; the fathers bewildered. Sisters without confidantes and brothers missing necessary rivals. Circles of lovers and friends, irreparably deformed. "
― Jonathan Kellerman , A Measure of Darkness (Clay Edison, #2)
