All the stuff going around the social networking sites, the news stories, the emails. Yes, it is a horrible thing. A tragic thing and I cannot imagine the horrors and pain that some folks are experiencing as I write this.
In the recent past, there was the Batman Movie shootings, Virginia Tech and of course Columbine. I am not one of those zealots that support guns or even own one anymore. We do have one, but it is an heirloom. That is why we keep it and as far as I know, it has never been fired. So, I wanted to comment on violence in general and what leads up to it.
I am not a psychologist or even pretend to be an expert on human behavior, but I think people are missing a really big and really valid point. Yes, guns kill people, and people kill people too, as do car crashes as do heart attacks and so does cancer. Lots of things kill people, some preventable, some not.
I am going to step back for a moment - and look at this from a common sense point of view.
Scenario - a baby is born, and mom takes him/her home from the hospital. That kid can go in several directions. He/she can grow up to be a law-biding respectable member of society or he/she can grow up, be in and out of jail, become addicted to drugs/booze and perhaps resort to criminal activity to support the habit. Or, he/she could grow up to be a violent, crazy, uncontrollable manic. Perhaps he/she will grow up to be a priest or a nun. Perhaps a scientist that cures AIDS. Perhaps a wife/husband abuser that eventually kills their partner. We can never, ever know. To quote William Shakespeare "...look ye into the seeds of time...tell me which will grow and which will not...then speak unto me...".
However, the bad things have a chance of being prevented. It is easier than we might think. I should actually be charging for this information, it is so golden. Ready for it...okay here goes:
Mom, Dad.....spend time with your kid. Talk to them. See what is going on in their lives. Look at their Facebook and other accounts. Watch their behaviors. Discipline them when they fuck up. Praise them when they do well. This way, they will develop a sense of morality, a conscience and realize that aggression is not the way to solve things. I am willing to bet that all of the incidents that I mentioned above, there was some deep trauma, neglect or abuse of the antagonist(s). Something, somewhere along the way, made them snap. Think 'Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays' . It is like a snowball effect. Frustration, anger, aggression, violence and then it just gets worse.
So, don't start slagging the Americans because they have a Constitution, don't start slagging because of the separation of Church and State, don't say that gun control is needed. It's not. What is needed is for parents to get off their ass, teach their children the 'right way', so they don't grow up thinking it is okay to be disrespectful, aggressive and even violent. Stop blaming the wrong people and use your brain.
That's all - Glen
