Thoughts That Do Nothing
Like every other sane person in this country (not sure how many of those are left), I am trying desperately to process another madman shooting up a public place. Clearly he was hurting, wanting to take revenge on the world for some unrealistic expectation of life that didn't pan out. He probably felt lost, numb and wanted to feel something powerful. He was bored and decided to plan something horrific to really leave a legacy for himself. Well congratulations terrorist, you succeeded. Now communities are without precious spirits and we are once again shaken up.
There are lots of issues with the media of course, anything ranging from how his race played into the reporting to a constant barrage of "country's deadliest mass shooting," as if they are setting a bar for someone else to try to beat. Are we so numb to feelings that we have to sensationalize something so horrific? One noticeable change in the media coverage, is that everyone accepts that we, as a country, do little to prevent this, and there is no sign that it will change. A nation that is apathetic to the brutal murdering of it's own people - very strange.
I read a very interesting article on why people immediately plant themselves at one end of another of the gun debate. Some people jump to gun control, that if we had less guns we would have less gun violence. Other people jump to the argument that bad people are bad and don't care about laws. I am in the middle. This is a classic case of maintaining civil liberties versus a commitment to public safety. I don't see it necessary that someone can shoot so many rounds so quickly. I do also recognize that what he had may have been illegal, but there is also a strong possibility that he used legal accessories to illegally modify a legal gun. I also am not sure why someone needs 40+ guns. On the other hand, I'm not sure why someone needs 40 cats and some people have that many. Of course, if he didn't have guns, he also had supplies to make bombs, so he could have just catapulted those out a window into a crowd. I will say that the gun option seems easier.
I didn't grow up with guns, don't have them now, don't need them. I don't want to shoot one, I don't need the adrenaline rush. I don't really care if other people have them because in general, I believe you should just let other people do what they want. However, I do want my people to be safe. I do want to go out into public without fear. So, how do I let people do what they want, while still making sure they aren't some trigger happy lunatic on a mission to prove a point? How do you have public policy that ensures safety without being overly bureaucratic and creating privacy issues.
I feel numb trying to come up with a solution to this problem. How do you convince someone not to give into their psychopathic thoughts? Is it a cultural pressure for white men to feel like they need to hold power, and when it is taken they need to demand it back? Is it a mental health issue that people are not adequately treated for imbalances in their brain? Is it the gun lobby's fault for teaching America that guns will solve their problems, not create them? How do I make sure my kid's aren't psychopaths? I guarantee you this man's mother did not have this dream for her son.
Ugh, I have nothing more to say. I have no answers, am sick to my stomach about this horrible society we live in, and have no clue how to fix it. Helplessness is not a feeling I wish to experience and being numb is one of my only coping skills. Thinking does absolutely nothing but take you down a rabbit hole of depression but I don't know what actions to take. I'm happy for these rainclouds today because they reflect the sadness I feel for everyone in this world that has so much anger and anxiety and resentment that they feel the need to hurt others around them as a way to take away some of their own hurt. It never, ever works and leads to a vicious cycle of damage.
Thoughts for the day....
There are lots of issues with the media of course, anything ranging from how his race played into the reporting to a constant barrage of "country's deadliest mass shooting," as if they are setting a bar for someone else to try to beat. Are we so numb to feelings that we have to sensationalize something so horrific? One noticeable change in the media coverage, is that everyone accepts that we, as a country, do little to prevent this, and there is no sign that it will change. A nation that is apathetic to the brutal murdering of it's own people - very strange.
I read a very interesting article on why people immediately plant themselves at one end of another of the gun debate. Some people jump to gun control, that if we had less guns we would have less gun violence. Other people jump to the argument that bad people are bad and don't care about laws. I am in the middle. This is a classic case of maintaining civil liberties versus a commitment to public safety. I don't see it necessary that someone can shoot so many rounds so quickly. I do also recognize that what he had may have been illegal, but there is also a strong possibility that he used legal accessories to illegally modify a legal gun. I also am not sure why someone needs 40+ guns. On the other hand, I'm not sure why someone needs 40 cats and some people have that many. Of course, if he didn't have guns, he also had supplies to make bombs, so he could have just catapulted those out a window into a crowd. I will say that the gun option seems easier.
I didn't grow up with guns, don't have them now, don't need them. I don't want to shoot one, I don't need the adrenaline rush. I don't really care if other people have them because in general, I believe you should just let other people do what they want. However, I do want my people to be safe. I do want to go out into public without fear. So, how do I let people do what they want, while still making sure they aren't some trigger happy lunatic on a mission to prove a point? How do you have public policy that ensures safety without being overly bureaucratic and creating privacy issues.
I feel numb trying to come up with a solution to this problem. How do you convince someone not to give into their psychopathic thoughts? Is it a cultural pressure for white men to feel like they need to hold power, and when it is taken they need to demand it back? Is it a mental health issue that people are not adequately treated for imbalances in their brain? Is it the gun lobby's fault for teaching America that guns will solve their problems, not create them? How do I make sure my kid's aren't psychopaths? I guarantee you this man's mother did not have this dream for her son.
Ugh, I have nothing more to say. I have no answers, am sick to my stomach about this horrible society we live in, and have no clue how to fix it. Helplessness is not a feeling I wish to experience and being numb is one of my only coping skills. Thinking does absolutely nothing but take you down a rabbit hole of depression but I don't know what actions to take. I'm happy for these rainclouds today because they reflect the sadness I feel for everyone in this world that has so much anger and anxiety and resentment that they feel the need to hurt others around them as a way to take away some of their own hurt. It never, ever works and leads to a vicious cycle of damage.
Thoughts for the day....
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