Who was he?

His name was Andreas Guenter Lubitz.  

I say was because at 28 years old he decided to end his life and about 150 other people on a plane that he was piloting on Tuesday.  Apparently he waited for the captain to leave the cockpit and locked the cabin and began an almost 10 minute descent into the French Alps.  The plane was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf and crashed at just before 11am.

So why would someone do this?  Who was this guy?

According to his Facebook page he was a pretty normal guy.  His interests include mundane things like Burger King, a local DJ and he obviously loved flying.  His friends describe him as a normal and friendly person.  It doesn't seem like he was upset about anything.  He loved working for Germanwings and seemed to have a lot going for him.

No one suspects any terrorist connections either.  There were no radical religious chants as the plane began its descent.  No rationale for his behavior.  No recorded suicide note.   In fact, his breathing was normal as the captain tried to break down the door.  Screams were heard from the passengers but Lubitz remained silent.

The story just doesn't make any sense.  How can absolutely no one have any idea that this young man was considering doing something so horrific?  Perhaps the investigation will reveal clues to what the intention behind Andreas Lubitz really was.  Until then we are in the dark.  

Here is what I do know.  

No one makes this decision out of the blue.   The captain didn't leave the cockpit and the random thought of crashing a plane blipped across his mental radar and he decided to give it a shot.  

They say that he was terse with the captain minutes before he left the cabin.  Maybe Andreas got an unwelcome text from a girlfriend.  Perhaps there was something very deep that ran between Andreas and the captain that exploded inside his mind wanting revenge in some way.  Maybe he had been planning this for months and kept it locked inside for that very moment.  Regardless of the reason, there was a reason.

I do know that because there had to be a reason, there had to be a moment when this seemed like a good idea.  Like a seed placed in soil, there was a moment this idea was accepted in his mind . . . and no one noticed.  

I do know that the human mind has deep and dark soil.

I do know that all of us have had moments where we wanted to settle a score . . . or give up . . . or take control regardless of the outcome.

And I do know that for as connected we like to think we are, things like this happen . . . but they shouldn't.  I do know that these kind of things get intercepted when we invest in others.  Whether it is neighbors or co-workers or friends . . . connecting with people and digging deeper into the soil of their lives can be the single most effective way to stop things like this happening in the future.

As spring comes around, maybe this is the kind of event that reminds us that we need to get our hands dirty in the soil of other people's lives.