With the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut last week it is
hard to not want to just lose faith in humanity. To throw in the towel and give
in to the notion that we as a people have lost our moral compass with no means
to find true north. It also sparks many discussions around how can this happen,
what can we do to prevent it, and all the political trappings that surround how
government should intervene. I think we
can all agree that the answer is not singular, it is plural, and is not an
answer that is going to have some quantifiable and calculated solution after an
equals sign.
The situation in Connecticut is the small mass of the iceberg,
jutting out of the water, that we collided with, and then realize that what we
can see is just a small percentage of the mass lurking below. If we just chip
away at the iceberg, repair and right the ship, we are just ignoring this
larger threat that can rise up again and either collide with us again, or harm
the next vessel venturing out to open sea. Like an iceberg, this is complex, it is larger
than us, and has unfortunately become part of the landscape we must survive
with. We can build stronger ships, better technology, more intelligent surveillance,
but the issue is that this problem is beyond the comprehension of science. Science
makes sense, it operates on logic, it is measurable, data driven, and can be
tested and verified. What we are dealing with has none of these boundaries of
reason. We are dealing with humans. The mind is a powerful tool, often thought to be the most complex entity on earth, but what do we do to take care of it? Protect it? Keep it healthy? I do think it says something about our society that we will treat infections with antibiotics to the point that we are becoming immune, we will work to prevent pain so aggressively that we end up with a large population of addicts, we have billions pouring into cancer research but still have individuals purposefully ingesting and exposing themselves to carcinogens, but yet a majority of the population have an aversion to mental health. It is not accepted by the majority to be a priority in healthcare, and it is socially stigmatized to be for the weak, the inept, and the uneducated. It is hidden from friends, families, and co-workers due to this stigma, and often the people who need it the most, are the most unwilling to seek the assistance. We have created a culture where those seeking mental health guidance, examinations, and discussions are the weirdoes, the freaks, and the counter culture. When did being healthy turn into a weakness? In any other aspect in life you protect your largest investment. You buy home owners insurance for your home, car insurance for your car, you do background checks on your childcare providers, and make sure that seat beat, crib, car seat and diaper has not been recalled, all for prevention and to have some assurance that in an uncertain instance, you have protection, that you have done all in your power to insure you have the best odds at survival and success. This is the antithesis of mental health in America. Here being of sound body does not equate to being of sound mind. We are humans, we succeed and we suffer, we have the ability to reason, and be unreasonable, and for all of these emotions we have our minds to thank. Left unchecked, under the right circumstances, with the right stressors, the right pain, the right suffering, could we as humans have the capability for our minds to overcome our reason, or pain to overshadow our morals, and our anger to snuff out our hope and to be Adam Lanza, Timothy McVeigh or James Holmes? It is absolutely appalling to think this, that we have the same human DNA as these animals. We have the same types of cells, that multiplied in the womb the same way, that blew candles out on their birthdays, went to baseball games, enjoyed pizza, and have people that love us. The notion that on the surface, before whatever caused this complete atomic meltdowns of humanity in these people, they were just like all of us. They had mothers, teachers, siblings and family, and the only difference was their experiences, and the perceptions they had of these experiences that would then shape their mental stability. While they may have larger mental instabilities than the average human, I am sure that there are many others living and working through these issues without having catastrophic outbursts as their demise. I am not that naïve to think that there is not more here, but in essence we think we are so far removed from this evil, when in fact, we might all very well carry it with us, we just have the mental capacity and strength that others don’t. This is one topic that will have to be addressed in order to improve our odds of preventing this in the future, and lowering the instances where we have to bury 20 innocent children. Mental health has to become socially and financially, accepted, supported, and encouraged.
The other piece to this complex iceberg that I have been
just mulling over again and again is of course the obvious, firearms. I have
heard all the arguments of “people kill people” and “these rights were given to
us by our forefathers” and “a person has the right to protect themselves”.
While my irrational side would love to just jump on the bandwagon of get rid of
them all, live in a utopian world where kids live in candy houses, and there is
sunshine and rainbows every day. I get that is not real, and that there are bad
people, and bad people have guns. I also know that this is a very heated debate
that can immediately turn ugly, but I am just expressing my point of view here,
you, like me, are entitled to yours as well, and it will be up to someone much
larger up the food chain the result of what will be molded out of the aftermath
when the dust settles, and emotion has a chance to speak to reason and action.
Just to keep things in perspective.
I want you to think about inventions for a moment, the
purposes of objects in our daily lives. A pocket knife, a hammer, a piece of
fishing line, gasoline, electricity, a double barrel shotgun, these were all
thought to be essential at one point or another in our evolution and innovation.
We moved from being hunters and gathers, to simple tradesmen, to survival, to
the industrial revolution, and the ability to hunt our own food to sustain large
populations. We evolved, adapted, and used our knowledge and ability to think
and dream and get to the next level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. After
thinking this through, each of these tools, served a purpose, had a role, and a
true need. This is where I can rationalize with our forefathers. That a musket
was a right and a privilege of man, that gave man power over the other beasts
of the world, be it animals or enemies. I do not think that at any point the
power, raw death, and carnage that a Bushmaster could wreak on an object or
being would ever fit into this privilege or right. It has no purpose to
humanity. I think this notion should be
tied to the same ideological struggle of just because we can do something, does
that mean we should. With Dolly the lamb, life on Mars, genetic altering of our
offspring, and all the other large scale debates, we never stopped to think
about where warfare and gun enthusiasts should meet. Where just because we have
this technology in our military does this mean I should be able to run to
Wal-Mart and have that in my closet? This type of gun, and the massive
magazines that were utilized in this horrific event should have never been in
main stream society. I don’t care if I check your background as far back as
three forests of family trees, with blood types to match, there is no reason
anyone needs that type of weapon in any setting other than large scale military
combat. The death of humans, and carnage for fun, is not a hobby. This notion
should also not upset any individuals out there who enjoy hunting, for sport or
game. Just like in fishing, large scale commercial fishing nets are not legal
for certain fish and certain parts of the world’s oceans, they are banned and
controlled for their sole intended purpose. Large scale assault rifles and
significant rounds in a single magazine should have at least a similar
restriction. Just like fishing in a small stocked pond with a commercial fishing
net, assault rifles in a forest are equally unfair and take all sport or
challenge out of the task. This is where I draw the comparison that the
munitions like used at Sandy Hook, have no place outside of a militia. Hunters
and other game enthusiasts should feel no threat to have these to fade out of
availability and into history in society. How this is done is where government
should take action as one piece to this complex puzzle.
There is also the argument that citizens should be able to
fight fire with fire, that those protecting and those creating the need for
protection should have a fair fight, as in equal ammunitions for the victim and
the predator. I would say in the
majority of individual instances where personal freedoms and rights are
threatened, the response would not need to be a high capacity machine rifle. I
think a .22 bullet can stop someone breaking into your home, just as well as a
100 round magazine in a Bushmaster. Either way the perpetrator is not getting
in, plus something smaller is probably more realistically managed in a high
stress and emergency situation by someone who is not a professional marksmen or
member of the military, which is often where this situation is brought up. This is also where I think people think to
black and white. Expressing these views to some will be much too conservative a
response, but to others they will be extraordinarily restricting and
unrealistic, but this is where no matter your political stance, we will have to seek compromise. There will
have to be some give and take, and if we cannot work together in the wake of
such senseless violence, then I doubt we will be successful when the next
fiscal cliff approaches, or the next 9/11, or the next Challenger explosion. As
humanity we should seek the greatest reward by demonstrating compromise, and reaching
that middle ground. It will teach a larger lesson to today’s youth that there
is something good than can come from something so evil, and that we are not
just victims of circumstance. We do have a say in our fate, our future, and our
purpose, and that a single unstable individual can dictate the future of our
communities, educational institutions, and freedoms and that we can reach a
peaceful compromise with everyone giving something to gain something greater.
