How are we going to disarm the bad guys? That is the question that is really being asked these days. Despite all the talk of reinforcing the school houses to resemble fortresses and possibly just banning certain gun accessories, the real problem is disarming criminals. How do you get those folks to stop shooting? Well, we place blame on environment, culture and mental health. Those three do influence the decisions we all make there is no denying that. Were I born in a different place, under different circumstance I'm certain I would be a different person. That is just a no-brainer. But why do we only place blame on those factors when things go wrong? You don't hear anyone saying they were the causes of things going right! Oh, you hear, in spite of, again an acknowledgement of something being wrong, but not because of. Still, the question is, how to disarm the bad guys.
The real answer is one no one likes or wants to hear, you can't. Those intent on doing harm to others will find a method to do so. This notion that guns just make it easier and more efficient is nonsense. There are plenty of other methods that can kill or maim just as quickly and just as easily. It doesn't take a genius to figure those other methods out either. We work and handle those devices and materials every day. Ever read warning labels? Many of us laugh about them but they are there for a reason. Mishandled those items can be deadly. Don't think so, read about something a large number of people use every day in the summer months. Chlorine. Yes, those same chlorine tablets we haphazardly use in our swimming pools can kill large numbers of people almost instantly if deployed for that reason. But, I'm not going down a list of ways to kill people, my point is simply that anyone can do that.
I know we hear that there are more guns today than ever before in America. That may be true I won't argue that point. I certainly believe that as far as households go, far more households had guns in years past than do today. My point being a gun, rifle, shotgun or pistol was a necessary household tool. They were not locked up in a safety cabinet or had trigger guards and such on them either. They were in plain sight, ready to use at all times. For that reason I say it isn't the availability of a gun that is the root cause of this. The fact that modern guns can shoot faster or longer is not the point either. What is the point is the willingness of people to use these guns to kill other people. How do get them to stop doing that? I sure wish I had an answer. I don't.
The only thing that I see that has changed is the morality of the people. Now you can say what you want about all of that as it relates to religious training but it is religious training that instills a sense of morality in people. We all know that we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We all know about the golden rule as well. We know those things without anyone having to tell us! What we don't know, for a fact, is what happens to us if we violate those rules. That is what heaven and hell is all about, no matter what you call that. It is the same in all religious teachings, we obey the rules for a reward in the end. The reward has to be greater, more desirable, than whatever is being offered on this earth.
It appears to me that has changed. The denial of that possibility is behind a great deal of this violence we are witnessing. The mental illness, I have thoughts on as well, but leave that for another discussion. If you start raising a generation to believe that this is all there is it shouldn't be a surprise that people will attempt to take it all. If this is it, you have to do it now! If there is nothing more you can just go for it! And that is the attitude I'm seeing .Not only do I not have to be concerned with eternity, but punishment here on this earth is very slow to arrive as well. I can always get a second chance. They hand out Bibles in prison you know, there is a reason for that.
Life is all about risk and reward. Every choice you make is a balance between the two. Is the potential reward worth the risk? We are guaranteed nothing in this world. We have those inalienable rights but there is no guarantee we can exercise them. That is dependent upon governments. But happiness, that thing we are in pursuit of, is controlled by ourselves. Only you can make you happy. Others can certainly influence you, provide you with comfort and emotional needs but they can't make you happy. And just where does the path to happiness lead us? For the Christian and many others of faith, it leads us to life everlasting. That is the reward. To those without a moral compass, for those without belief, there is no reward other than what life offers in the here and now. There is no " spirit. " What's the answer then? The material is overtaking the spiritual, the old bird in the hand mentality. We need to restore the balance. The risk needs to be greater than the reward.
The real answer is one no one likes or wants to hear, you can't. Those intent on doing harm to others will find a method to do so. This notion that guns just make it easier and more efficient is nonsense. There are plenty of other methods that can kill or maim just as quickly and just as easily. It doesn't take a genius to figure those other methods out either. We work and handle those devices and materials every day. Ever read warning labels? Many of us laugh about them but they are there for a reason. Mishandled those items can be deadly. Don't think so, read about something a large number of people use every day in the summer months. Chlorine. Yes, those same chlorine tablets we haphazardly use in our swimming pools can kill large numbers of people almost instantly if deployed for that reason. But, I'm not going down a list of ways to kill people, my point is simply that anyone can do that.
I know we hear that there are more guns today than ever before in America. That may be true I won't argue that point. I certainly believe that as far as households go, far more households had guns in years past than do today. My point being a gun, rifle, shotgun or pistol was a necessary household tool. They were not locked up in a safety cabinet or had trigger guards and such on them either. They were in plain sight, ready to use at all times. For that reason I say it isn't the availability of a gun that is the root cause of this. The fact that modern guns can shoot faster or longer is not the point either. What is the point is the willingness of people to use these guns to kill other people. How do get them to stop doing that? I sure wish I had an answer. I don't.
The only thing that I see that has changed is the morality of the people. Now you can say what you want about all of that as it relates to religious training but it is religious training that instills a sense of morality in people. We all know that we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We all know about the golden rule as well. We know those things without anyone having to tell us! What we don't know, for a fact, is what happens to us if we violate those rules. That is what heaven and hell is all about, no matter what you call that. It is the same in all religious teachings, we obey the rules for a reward in the end. The reward has to be greater, more desirable, than whatever is being offered on this earth.
It appears to me that has changed. The denial of that possibility is behind a great deal of this violence we are witnessing. The mental illness, I have thoughts on as well, but leave that for another discussion. If you start raising a generation to believe that this is all there is it shouldn't be a surprise that people will attempt to take it all. If this is it, you have to do it now! If there is nothing more you can just go for it! And that is the attitude I'm seeing .Not only do I not have to be concerned with eternity, but punishment here on this earth is very slow to arrive as well. I can always get a second chance. They hand out Bibles in prison you know, there is a reason for that.
Life is all about risk and reward. Every choice you make is a balance between the two. Is the potential reward worth the risk? We are guaranteed nothing in this world. We have those inalienable rights but there is no guarantee we can exercise them. That is dependent upon governments. But happiness, that thing we are in pursuit of, is controlled by ourselves. Only you can make you happy. Others can certainly influence you, provide you with comfort and emotional needs but they can't make you happy. And just where does the path to happiness lead us? For the Christian and many others of faith, it leads us to life everlasting. That is the reward. To those without a moral compass, for those without belief, there is no reward other than what life offers in the here and now. There is no " spirit. " What's the answer then? The material is overtaking the spiritual, the old bird in the hand mentality. We need to restore the balance. The risk needs to be greater than the reward.
No comments:
Post a Comment