Counting the cost of selfishness

Inter Lake editorial

Those who enthusiastically flock to the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy might want to reconsider that enthusiasm after last Friday's shopping-related death in New York.

At the entrance to a Wal-Mart store, a crowd estimated at 2,000 broke down the electric doors and proceeded to trample to death a Wal-Mart worker.

The worker was 6 feet 5 and weighed 270 pounds. As a police commissioner put it: "Literally anyone, those hundreds of people who did make their way into the store, literally had to step over or around him or unfortunately on him to get into the Wal-Mart store."

This gives a new meaning to Black Friday.

Is it really that important to get inside to get to that 32-inch television for $388? Is it worth a man's life to be the first to reach the aisle with the $97 GPS units? Is the lure of a $199 Xbox 360 so strong that it makes shoppers become savages?

Perhaps the tragedy of the trampled worker might give us all pause when we consider the emphasis we put on getting good deals. Remember that the putative purpose of most shopping at this time of year is to help celebrate the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace. It would not hurt to study his example and consider the value of love and brotherhood as opposed to the value of possessions.

Savvy shopping may be the American way and going out early on Black Friday may be a tradition for many, but in the end it's all just stuff we acquire and it's not worth killing over.

The spirit of charity is also part of the American way, of course, and the example of the late Helen Mulloy will shine for years to come in the communities of Kalispell and Whitefish.

Mulloy, who died earlier this year at the age of 77, bequeathed $300,000 in scholarship funding to both the Kalispell and Whitefish school districts to provide financial assistance to high school students who might not otherwise be able to afford college.

Mulloy herself had a highly successful career in the insurance business, but because of family circumstances, was never able to complete her high school education. Her life, however, taught her much, including the value of generosity. Her gift will no doubt have the power to change many lives for years to come.