Epidemic of Gun Violence
We, in this country, are experiencing an epidemic of gun violence. It’s nothing new. Guns along with horses came with the White Europeans. They were a part of White culture. They soon became a part of the culture of the people already here. White Europeans used them to hunt and defend themselves. The European colonists used them against the British and then against each other in the Civil War and against the Native Peoples. The last victory for the original Americans was the Battle of Little Big Horn where three hundred White Euro-American soldiers died in a fight with Native American warriors. The horses faded into the back ground, replaced by motor cars. But not the guns. They are now a part of our daily diet of our inter-personal violence. A big part of the problem is we have failed to fully realize our values and to pass these values into our culture. These values are reverence for life, respect for all human beings, love of justice, not letting fear and anger define our politics, not letting anxiety or depression rule our emotions. The long term solution is simple but it won’t happen overnight. It starts with my own personal inner-journey. Ignore the media. Don’t look to the world for answers. Look inside myself. Listen to the still small voice of love in my own heart. Struggle with it. (“…not letting fear and anger define my politics, not letting anxiety or depression rule my emotions…”) It’s all I have to make me fully human. The angels are waiting.
