It’s another day in America after a tragedy where a mass shooter has killed children. The nation mourns and the debate continues about whether it is a problem of gun laws, police support, or even mental health. I truly don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that I feel like I am on a horrific merry-go-round that just keeps spinning over and over again until my stomach turns over so many times I just want to vomit. And I really wish things would change this time, but I know that they won’t. The saddest part of that statement is I knew that things wouldn’t change after 2012. Every time there’s been a shooting since then, I knew things wouldn’t change and I know deep inside my stomach and even deeper inside my heart that it won’t change until people start to look at this a different way.
First, this isn’t about mental health. Most people with mental health problems are non-violent. If they are, then they pose more danger to themselves than anyone else. The small percentage of people with mental health problems that are a danger to others is probably much smaller than the percentage of gun owners that do pose a danger to others. It is probably much smaller than the radicalize people who belong to hate groups that pose a danger to others. It is probably much small than the criminals who are willing to pose a danger to others. In other words, a person doesn’t have to be mentally ill to hurt or kill others, they just need to have a hate-filled heart. I could walk into a crowd of people and find plenty of those type of people without any problem, but I would have a difficult time finding a mentally ill person who is a danger to others.
Second, one side wants to pass laws about guns and the other side wants to pass different laws. The problem is that they don’t seem to understand that God’s law is more important that man’s law. Our government seems to think that they can pass laws and it can change the hearts of the citizens of their country. It doesn’t work that way.
The President got on television last night and said that other countries don’t have these problems. Other countries haven’t instilled in their citizens the ideals that we have. There is this ideal that we must fight for everything. Our society would put the Spartans to shame at least in our blood lust, quickness to anger and hate, and ability to make everything into a fight. I think we are the only people in the world who could possibly come up with a “fight for peace”.
It isn’t until our nation starts to realize that a law isn’t going to change this problem that anything will change. It isn’t until our nation and the world realize that the violence in all of us has gotten out of hand that we can do anything about it.
I’m not above all of it. I recognize in myself that I can be violent. I have lost my temper and thrown things across a room. I have yelled like a crazy woman “DIE!” to an insect that surprised me. It’s a struggle to temper my animalistic anger with my human reasoning and my spiritual love for my fellow human beings. I pray every day for God’s guidance. I work at it every day.
On a day like today, after this tragedy, it makes me think, there but by God’s grace go I.
I could easily be victim or victimizer. I thank God for keeping my loved one and me safe. I pray that He hold those suffering in His arms and help them to endure this pain. I hope that change somehow comes, but not through laws and government, but through our hearts.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
