The answer to the question in my title seems obvious: Michael Dunn, like Zimmerman before him, is indicted and stands trial for murder. That murder resulted from his actions is without doubt. But was he guilty of the deed? The answer to that second question lies in his state of mind as well as in the circumstances of the case. The latter has been explored in the trial, but the former may tell us more about our state of mind.

As a former soldier, I know what it takes to pull that trigger. That act is occasioned by fear, by hatred, by righteousness, or by some mixture of the three. Military commanders of all stripes and nations will go to great length to justify the conduct of a war, usually drawing a combinative portrait of purpose and negative effect: democracy over communism; freedom over dictatorship, nationalism over terrorism, or simply good against evil. In the trenches, soldiers will sometimes vilify the enemy in order to justify their acts of aggression: the enemy is variously demonized as chinks, gooks, ragheads, or whatever derogatory term suits the purpose. But when the bombs begin to fall and bullets fly overhead, soldiers are gripped in fear for their lives and fight to save themselves and their fellow soldiers. During the Vietnam War, I never met a Vietnamese I didn’t immediately like or at least respect (really!). Nevertheless, I found myself on the other end of the gun barrel in that conflict. What put me there was not completely dissimilar from Michael Dunn’s situation. Both of us felt fear and both of us experienced some level of societal conditioning. The main difference, of course, was that my fear was real, whereas Dunn’s was also conditioned along with his attitudes towards blacks. After all, the bogeyman is black, is he not? Don’t blacks occupy the largest segment of the incarcerated? Aren’t black communities unsafe for white people, especially after dark? And, for some, rap music may seem merely an expression of this dark, malicious force in society or, as Dunn termed it, of “thug” music.

So is Michael Dunn guilty? Well, as I write this, the jury is convinced he is on four of the five counts of his indictment. But what does his case say about the state of our society in its depiction of racial minorities? Isn’t it time to admit the only way that bogeyman can be real is if we accept conditioned attitudes that have existed since the foundation of this republic? When FDR said the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he inadvertently was addressing all fear, including irrational fear conditioned by history and unfortunate circumstances. The enemy we fear in this case is in ourselves, a delusion that has existed before and after the passing of the Thirteen and Fourteenth Amendments to our Constitution. It is time to put this delusion to rest.

Having made this declarative statement, I’ve hardly touched the core of the problem. My personal racial biases were only gradually transformed. As a young man I played sports and later served in the military with men of various backgrounds and ethnicity. I also formed relationships with people of color before and after my time in the service. These experiences formed the basis for uncovering unexamined prejudices and for discovering the truth about our humanity. That truth is about our interconnectedness. People of all types and races share not only a common humanity but depend upon each other to evolve that humanity. The personal lesson I wish to share with my readers is the necessity to reach out to others who may appear different or even “scary.” If you have not already done so, I guarantee you will be surprised to find yourself reformed and free of delusion.

In truth, living this delusion is an indictable offense against our shared humanity—as is murder.