Two very different paths

 I just saw the CNN homepage with a picture of James Holmes, who grew up in San Diego, sitting in a Denver area courtroom with his comic book red hair, looking deranged and barely there. On the other side of the page, a picture of Sally Ride in her days as a space shuttle astronaut heads the column that is her obituary. She was a physics professor at the University of California, San Diego. They are two local news makers--visually juxtaposed--representing the best and worst of what gifted people can become.

James Holmes booking photo

For now, I will not attempt to make sense out of last Friday's gunfire in a Colorado movie theater; Ross Douthat in Sunday's New York Times did about the best job of that I have seen. But I will simply say we should celebrate the life of Sally Ride and her contributions to improving the world. As for James Holmes, the pain he inflicted is beyond words. The side by side view of these two pictures struck me as not only odd but haunting--two San Diegans who will be remembered for years to come for very different reasons.

I mean no disrespect to Dr. Ride by discussing her on the same page as James Holmes. To the contrary, the point is to show that in the  dark and disturbing aftermath of Holmes' brutal acts, creative and life affirming memories--in this case, the life and work of Sally Ride--need to be celebrated and honored. Though today's news marks her death, it is her life that has, at least for a moment, pushed Holmes off the lead spot in the news.