12-16-12
sad brain
Do I need to lower my expectations about life in the USA in
2012? Am I NOT being reasonable enough?….
Like my need to lower my expectations about Madonna’s concert (see blog a few
weeks back)… am I just living in the past too much?
This week on Facebook I’ve been pretty upset and vocal about
the CT school shootings. Today, I had 3 hours in the car alone on my drive
back home form KC to ponder without distractions. My mind went back to the sign
on the VA Hospital in Des Moines which I recently visited two weeks ago.
The Price of Freedom
is Visible Here.
I thought about the solders, past and present, who gave up
their lives for our nation, our constitution and our freedom. Then I wondered
if this same motto applies to the innocent people (children included) who give
up there lives in order to protect the “out of control” 2nd
amendment.
I call this law “out of control”…. Not that I am opposed to
gun ownership, and I don't want guns ban, but because I do have a problem with some
of the guns out there….. assault weapons, automatic and semiautomatic guns
which some people claim they need to feel safe and to hunt with. ….”Really?”
Have there been wild animals, Indians or gangsters circling your house
recently? I assume not, so to me you
seem to be living in fear and not living free at all.
There is the argument that guns don’t kill, people kill…..
and sure school children could have been killed by a crazy person with a knife,
or a car….. but a knife and car have other purposes like buttering bread, and
transportation….BUT guns, especially
assault weapons have only one purpose- to kill in large numbers.
However, I will acknowledge that I do think guns are only
the tip of the iceberg. It is the visual part, easy to point to and blame
first…. But there is much more ice below the surface which also needs to be
examined, but hardly even does get examined.
Case in point, I once heard a preacher give a sermon on
“Follow the Money”…... For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)… it is not surprising
that our nation spends more money on the military, weapons and war than all the
other countries combined.
And then you have the lack of money available to pay for mental
health issues….
Then there is all the violence in movies, TV shows about
crimes and killing, video games which focus on shooting people…. And the media’s need to broadcast, for hours
on end, any tragic story of mass shootings. There is a lot more to point at
besides guns…. Yet those 20 children weren’t killed with knifes or run over
with a car.
Others suggest “taking
God and Prayer out of our schools” caused this type of tragedy to happen.
Well if you don’t want sex taught in schools why would you let schools handle
something as precious as spiritual health, which is better suited for home and
church?
Besides, God is bigger than that.-You can’t shut God out of
schools or anywhere. God lives in every cell in our body and loves us even when
we choose not to love back. God is always present and waiting for us to cry out
for help.
So I guess my conclusion after 3 hours in the car was that
maybe I just need to accept all the facts about life in the USA in 2012- And the resulting consequences which follow,
sad as they may be…. And in doing so, I guess the real question would be- why
am I even surprised that this shooting happened? I should be shocked in the
fact that it doesn’t happened more often.
So while all you gun owners out there go hug your guns
tonight as you put them safely away…. I hope you will also do the right thing
by thanking the innocent children and their families who made the ultimate
sacrifice for your freedom to own those assault weapons.
But if you don’t think this was a worthwhile sacrifice for them
to make on behalf of you and your guns, then it is time for the difficult soul
searching and discussion on how to improve our nation…. Looking at the big
picture of our laws, rights, and even budget- could we use better gun regulations perhaps?
But sadly…..the acceptance of an imperfect world is probably
easier for most of us rather than that kind of deep soul searching and
reflection in the mirror.
