THE DARK KNIGHT RISES--the Petoskey, MI midnight showing

At 12:01 a.m. EDT last Friday morning, a rowdy crowd in Petoskey, MI was clapping in rhythm for the theater to dim the lights and the projectionist to start the show.  It was a typical high school- and college-age group for a midnight showing, and my wife and I were two of the oldest people in the audience for The Dark Knight Rises, save a few parental chaperons.

The screening was uneventful, unless one would consider teenage giggling and guffaws in a darkened cinema news flash material.  Probably the all-you-can-eat pizza and popcorn with admission kept their mouths shut and chewing.  Otherwise, the young audience gasped and laughed in all the "right places," and heartily cheered and applauded the final scene.

Hundreds of moviegoers filed out of the theater, tired but basically happy, their biggest dilemma being how to combat the approaching sleep deprivation later that day.  It was a welcome escape from reality for a few hours.  No one present knew of the tragic events in Aurora, CO yet.

I learned of the mass shooting from news alerts during some late night/early morning viewing of The Weather Channel, seeing what the weather would be for our hike in Petoskey State Park later that day.

Along with the incident-free movie screening, an event earlier this summer near my Valparaiso home puts the Colorado theater shooting in perspective for me.  An armed and crazed man from Texas, disgruntled about a failed investment, stormed the Prudential Building on Calumet Avenue and held an office of workers hostage.  Fortunately, he eventually let them all go, physically unharmed, but then he shot and killed himself.  If only James E. Holmes would have done the same.

Was the talk among office workers in Northwest Indiana "we can't go back to work any more after this?"  No, working and getting paid for it is a necessity for most people and their families.  Though seeing a movie at a cinema is not one of life's absolute necessities, having an outlet or place for escape and relaxation should be. 

Do not let fear dictate or shape the actions of your life.  Please, do not allow the acts of a sadistic, selfish human being keep you from the pursuit of your happiness.