Mental Illness Entwined with Disaster

Dear readers, I have pondered how to approach this blog about the tragic plane crash of Germanwings flight 9525 in France. As the news story has unfolded reports become more pointed in detailing that the young co-pilot lived with a mental illness and it seems he may have decided, in his ill state, that crashing the plane was his only option. The story is devastating. So much loss, complicated by a difficult investigation and recovery, due to its location and so many unanswered questions.
I have been impressed by the balanced reporting, for the most part. It seems to me that in some ways there is a shift in our world in the understanding of mental illness. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we still have a long, long way to go but the very fact that the air industry and the public at large are facing the challenges of illness and its greater impact makes me think that we have made some progress. This was indicated when a father of one of the deceased passengers stood near the crash site and said he did not want to hear recriminations, that would serve no purpose, he only wanted people to move forward so that such a thing could not happen again.
The fact that such an attitude is held up during this week, which we Christians call Holy Week, is serendipitous. As followers of Christ we will spend the next few days trying to understand how devastating loss can bring forth good news. We will look for signs of resurrection in the midst of crucifixion. We will struggle to understand how tragedy can bring redemption. May the universal struggle, that we live in Holy Week, be an overlay for those recovery from the tragic loss of this horrific plane crash.