Violence will not win
More mass shootings this month and daily use of guns and other weapons in response to some disagreement result in many loving responses. There are even some calls for gun reform while many others insist that guns do not kill, people do. The latest mass shooting in a 4th grade class left two adults and 19 children dead in addition to others who are still being treated.
The temptation is to call for change by erecting more metal detectors, stronger punishment of so called “evil people”, more effective diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, convincing ourselves that despite the frequency of the use of guns to kill we need more guns for people, including teachers, to protect themselves and students or we need to restrict the sale of certain guns and access to all guns
As a nation, many states continue to use the death penalty, law enforcement personnel continue to be trained and equipped to use lethal force, the military budget continues to increase, and we continue to respond to international violence with more violence or threats of more violence.
It seems we humans in the United States and other countries continue to believe that the only response to violence is more violence. Many of us also continue to believe that the violent person or nation is someone other than us; that we only resort to violence as a response to violence. If we label the violent person as evil, we reassure ourselves that he or she is different than we are; that although we may commit hurtful acts, we are not capable of an act as horrific as the 18-year-old son and grandson who killed his grandmother and then opened fire in a 4th grade classroom.
Many will also hurl insults at those legislators who call for gun and gun manufacturing reform while others will hurl insults at those who cry second amendment rights, who believe that even more guns will make most of us safer.
In this so-called Christian nation, which is in actuality a very religiously pluralistic nation, we honor the teacher Jesus who taught to love one’s enemy and celebrate the life and work of the man, Martin Luther King who demonstrated the power of non-violence.
I am fascinated with the fact that we have come to accept that mental illness is a health issue; that dementia causes the thought process to often drastically change; that the use of medication for mental illness is a major part of our health care system, that more than 100,000 people died of drug addiction in the United States last year, while, at the same time, we are shocked that he thought process of so many people is capable of ignoring the sacredness of others; of committing murder. The use of the term mental illness is probably not helpful. There is a myriad of factors which affect the thought process of all of us – diet, environment, other medical issues such as tumors, and other differences which prevent a shared reality. There are also those who are very vulnerable to the local and national example of using lethal violence to respond to violence.
Unless and until we, as a nation, take the fragility of the human brain and, thus, the thought process seriously and unless and until we decide that it is not only ” them” who are capable of lethal violence and unless and until we commit to finding non-lethal, compassionate, civil ways of dealing with those with whom we disagree and unless and until we quit mass producing weapons to ensure there are enough guns to arm everyone x 2 in the United States we will continue to see the incidence of violence increase in the United States.
Just for today what happens if we decide that compassionate non-violence is more powerful than violence?
Written May 26, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
More mass shootings this month and daily use of guns and other weapons in response to some disagreement result in many loving responses. There are even some calls for gun reform while many others insist that guns do not kill, people do. The latest mass shooting in a 4th grade class left two adults and 19 children dead in addition to others who are still being treated.
The temptation is to call for change by erecting more metal detectors, stronger punishment of so called “evil people”, more effective diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, convincing ourselves that despite the frequency of the use of guns to kill we need more guns for people, including teachers, to protect themselves and students or we need to restrict the sale of certain guns and access to all guns
As a nation, many states continue to use the death penalty, law enforcement personnel continue to be trained and equipped to use lethal force, the military budget continues to increase, and we continue to respond to international violence with more violence or threats of more violence.
It seems we humans in the United States and other countries continue to believe that the only response to violence is more violence. Many of us also continue to believe that the violent person or nation is someone other than us; that we only resort to violence as a response to violence. If we label the violent person as evil, we reassure ourselves that he or she is different than we are; that although we may commit hurtful acts, we are not capable of an act as horrific as the 18-year-old son and grandson who killed his grandmother and then opened fire in a 4th grade classroom.
Many will also hurl insults at those legislators who call for gun and gun manufacturing reform while others will hurl insults at those who cry second amendment rights, who believe that even more guns will make most of us safer.
In this so-called Christian nation, which is in actuality a very religiously pluralistic nation, we honor the teacher Jesus who taught to love one’s enemy and celebrate the life and work of the man, Martin Luther King who demonstrated the power of non-violence.
I am fascinated with the fact that we have come to accept that mental illness is a health issue; that dementia causes the thought process to often drastically change; that the use of medication for mental illness is a major part of our health care system, that more than 100,000 people died of drug addiction in the United States last year, while, at the same time, we are shocked that he thought process of so many people is capable of ignoring the sacredness of others; of committing murder. The use of the term mental illness is probably not helpful. There is a myriad of factors which affect the thought process of all of us – diet, environment, other medical issues such as tumors, and other differences which prevent a shared reality. There are also those who are very vulnerable to the local and national example of using lethal violence to respond to violence.
Unless and until we, as a nation, take the fragility of the human brain and, thus, the thought process seriously and unless and until we decide that it is not only ” them” who are capable of lethal violence and unless and until we commit to finding non-lethal, compassionate, civil ways of dealing with those with whom we disagree and unless and until we quit mass producing weapons to ensure there are enough guns to arm everyone x 2 in the United States we will continue to see the incidence of violence increase in the United States.
Just for today what happens if we decide that compassionate non-violence is more powerful than violence?
Written May 26, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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