Sunday Musings - April 30.2023
Hate - justice’
October 27, 2018 was the day Robert C Bowers gunned down 11 fellow humans at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania not far from where I once lived. 1640 days later the trial of Mr. Bowers began.
The attorneys for Mr. Bowers will state that he lives with schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments. He had agreed to plead guilty if he could be assured of life in prison and not the death penalty. In Pennsylvania the death penalty is a possibility if he is found guilty and mentally competent.
I recall gathering shortly after the shooting with others at Temple Shalom in Wheeling, WV for a service led by Rabbi Joshua Lief to honor those who died as well as all those affected by the shooting and to reaffirm the commitment to respond to this hate crime with love; a commitment which was an echo of that of the leadership of the Tree of Life Synagogue. Since that commitment many have worked tirelessly to end hate; to end the long history of many of we humans to deposit self-worth coins based on being better than, brighter than, more moral than, richer than, having bigger guns than, having different skin pigmentation than, or via some other perceived or invented construct. Hate is, after all, borne out of fear one is not worthwhile as an equal member of the human race; as a fellow traveler on this planet, we call earth; in this solar system.
Ironically, the inability to accept that one is intrinsically worthwhile as part of the whole could be considered a mental limitation/illness which might or might not sometimes concretely fall within the parameters of the symptoms which are listed in the official Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM 5- TR) or the ICD-10 - International Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. Although in some cases there are tests which can identify a part of the brain which is not functioning thus negating the ability to have a shared reality, in many cases, one can have many so called experts offer different opinions about the mental ability of a particular person at a particular point in time. The attorney for Mr. Bowers and the prosecutors will, I suspect offer conflicting experts who will testify either that Mr. Bowers had a history of hating Jewish people and did with malice aforethought plan and execute worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue or is mentally ill.
There are those survivors of the murders who might agree that justice demands at least two eyes for the permanent closing of 22 eyes. There are others who will question how it is that killing will stop killing; how discounting the humanness of yet another person - even the one who caused the 11 deaths - demonstrates that violence is not the solution to fear that hides behind hate.
I have no knowledge, other than what I have read, of why Mr. Bowers could not, and cannot self-identify as an equal member of a larger body we call the human race; why Mr. Bowers cannot accept in killing others he kills a part of himself. We do, of course, know that the human brain is amazingly well designed with many parts. Just as is true with many of our person made devices such as the cell phones and this computer on which I am typing, there are many connections in the brain which can be interrupted by a variety of factors. It is not surprising that a finely tuned instrument such as the human brain malfunctions in a way which prevents a shared reality - an inability to recognize and accept one’s kinship with all others. It is magical that the electrical firing of neurons ever occurs in the order necessary for a shared reality. Mental illness labels such as schizophrenia or functional brain impairment frequently do not identify the precise reason for the misfiring of neurons. I do believe that if the brain is functioning well without a neurological disorder or the internalization of fear and “fake news” we humans know we are all interdependent cousins. We all belong to each other. Killing another is a form of self-amputation of a necessary part of ourselves.
Just as we have increasingly recognized that we need loving, safe, secure memory care facilities for those suffering from dementia we need more loving, well-staffed, secure places for all those unable to recognize and accept our shared reality; the fact that we are all parts of each other. Clearly Mr. Bowers deserves such compassionate care as does each of those directly and indirectly affected by tragic events such as occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018; similar evens which have. been repeated 17 times so far in 2023 (PBS.org April 21. 2023).
Ironically, the leaders of the factories which manufacture assault type weapons in the United States may suffer from the same basic malaise as does Mr. Bowers; the belief that more profit and, thus, larger salaries which will purchase more stuff which pollute the earth and the minds further distancing the owners from themselves and each other will guarantee self-worth and inner peace.
If we want to end violence; if we in the United States want to end mass killings in the United States; if we want to greatly reduce the murders which are sadly a daily occurrence in many of our cities; if the United States wants to increase the number of workers; if United States wants to reduce depression and all symptoms of disconnection then we must quit using all forms of violence in response to violence. We must get honest about the fact that we have designed a nation which judges the disconnectedness of some and honors or even celebrates the disconnectedness of others. We must quit acting as if the contributions of some of us is valuable and others not valuable. If we want to end violence, we must quit pretending that violence only hurts if it is physical violence. If we want to reduce violence, we must honor the sacredness of all while compassionately caring for those unable to experiences our shared interdependence.
Written April 30, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Hate - justice’
October 27, 2018 was the day Robert C Bowers gunned down 11 fellow humans at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania not far from where I once lived. 1640 days later the trial of Mr. Bowers began.
The attorneys for Mr. Bowers will state that he lives with schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments. He had agreed to plead guilty if he could be assured of life in prison and not the death penalty. In Pennsylvania the death penalty is a possibility if he is found guilty and mentally competent.
I recall gathering shortly after the shooting with others at Temple Shalom in Wheeling, WV for a service led by Rabbi Joshua Lief to honor those who died as well as all those affected by the shooting and to reaffirm the commitment to respond to this hate crime with love; a commitment which was an echo of that of the leadership of the Tree of Life Synagogue. Since that commitment many have worked tirelessly to end hate; to end the long history of many of we humans to deposit self-worth coins based on being better than, brighter than, more moral than, richer than, having bigger guns than, having different skin pigmentation than, or via some other perceived or invented construct. Hate is, after all, borne out of fear one is not worthwhile as an equal member of the human race; as a fellow traveler on this planet, we call earth; in this solar system.
Ironically, the inability to accept that one is intrinsically worthwhile as part of the whole could be considered a mental limitation/illness which might or might not sometimes concretely fall within the parameters of the symptoms which are listed in the official Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM 5- TR) or the ICD-10 - International Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders. Although in some cases there are tests which can identify a part of the brain which is not functioning thus negating the ability to have a shared reality, in many cases, one can have many so called experts offer different opinions about the mental ability of a particular person at a particular point in time. The attorney for Mr. Bowers and the prosecutors will, I suspect offer conflicting experts who will testify either that Mr. Bowers had a history of hating Jewish people and did with malice aforethought plan and execute worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue or is mentally ill.
There are those survivors of the murders who might agree that justice demands at least two eyes for the permanent closing of 22 eyes. There are others who will question how it is that killing will stop killing; how discounting the humanness of yet another person - even the one who caused the 11 deaths - demonstrates that violence is not the solution to fear that hides behind hate.
I have no knowledge, other than what I have read, of why Mr. Bowers could not, and cannot self-identify as an equal member of a larger body we call the human race; why Mr. Bowers cannot accept in killing others he kills a part of himself. We do, of course, know that the human brain is amazingly well designed with many parts. Just as is true with many of our person made devices such as the cell phones and this computer on which I am typing, there are many connections in the brain which can be interrupted by a variety of factors. It is not surprising that a finely tuned instrument such as the human brain malfunctions in a way which prevents a shared reality - an inability to recognize and accept one’s kinship with all others. It is magical that the electrical firing of neurons ever occurs in the order necessary for a shared reality. Mental illness labels such as schizophrenia or functional brain impairment frequently do not identify the precise reason for the misfiring of neurons. I do believe that if the brain is functioning well without a neurological disorder or the internalization of fear and “fake news” we humans know we are all interdependent cousins. We all belong to each other. Killing another is a form of self-amputation of a necessary part of ourselves.
Just as we have increasingly recognized that we need loving, safe, secure memory care facilities for those suffering from dementia we need more loving, well-staffed, secure places for all those unable to recognize and accept our shared reality; the fact that we are all parts of each other. Clearly Mr. Bowers deserves such compassionate care as does each of those directly and indirectly affected by tragic events such as occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018; similar evens which have. been repeated 17 times so far in 2023 (PBS.org April 21. 2023).
Ironically, the leaders of the factories which manufacture assault type weapons in the United States may suffer from the same basic malaise as does Mr. Bowers; the belief that more profit and, thus, larger salaries which will purchase more stuff which pollute the earth and the minds further distancing the owners from themselves and each other will guarantee self-worth and inner peace.
If we want to end violence; if we in the United States want to end mass killings in the United States; if we want to greatly reduce the murders which are sadly a daily occurrence in many of our cities; if the United States wants to increase the number of workers; if United States wants to reduce depression and all symptoms of disconnection then we must quit using all forms of violence in response to violence. We must get honest about the fact that we have designed a nation which judges the disconnectedness of some and honors or even celebrates the disconnectedness of others. We must quit acting as if the contributions of some of us is valuable and others not valuable. If we want to end violence, we must quit pretending that violence only hurts if it is physical violence. If we want to reduce violence, we must honor the sacredness of all while compassionately caring for those unable to experiences our shared interdependence.
Written April 30, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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