My 1000 th post... The symptoms not the cause

I just wrote this for my local paper. I have some corrections and changes to make yet (first draft)

The Symptoms Not the Cause

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody,
I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty
than the person who has nothing to eat.
Mother Teresa

All too often in this country we go after the symptoms and not the cause. The Virginia shooting recently is a prime example. Gun advocates are pushing to allow guns on campuses. In my opinion this is a crazy idea. If we were to do that, who is to say that it won’t be a gun carrying teacher that goes off the deep end next time. Why don’t we focus on why we have had the 17 shootings in just the last 8 years. What is the common thread? I feel we should be looking closely at why these people do these horrific things, not, “How do we kill em? , or how can we stop them with super tight security?” That kind of thinking will provide no change, just more of the same. I strongly believe that the youth in America and around the world have been terribly desensitized. Horror and/or ‘slasher’ movies showing bodies being cut up and decapitated no longer have the desired adrenaline effect for young kids that it used to. My son’s friend told me he likes the feeling he gets from these movies. Or when lyrics to a song promote rape, anger and severe violence; when elementary school children mimic their favorite rap singer pretending with their little hands to cap (shoot) their classmates; or when it is discovered some of our children enjoy shoving firecrackers inside of frogs and other defenseless animals, then gleefully gather to watch as the tiny creatures blow up, I think we are in BIG trouble. And yes, your current President blew up frogs as a child. this is clearly a sign of a future serial killer, a child who delights in torturing and killing animals. Mr. Throckmorton, a childhood friend of our Resident said. 'we'd put firecrackers in the frogs and throw them and blow them up.'" This and his documented bullying behaviors are clear signs of a twisted and unstable mind in my opinion and many leading psychiatrists as well.

The violence is not going to improve until we begin to look around our homes, our schools and our communities and ask ourselves, “What can I do”. Even a small thing can make a big difference. Was there ever a time in your life that you felt truly happy inside after seeing a beautiful thing like a brand new baby, a new litter of kittens playing, or maybe a businessman taking a hungry homeless person out to lunch. Relish that feeling, try to duplicate it every chance you get.

Instead of supporting the gathering of the police force to sweep out all of the homeless people from the wooded area near your home, see if you can help just one of them and encourage the police to do the same. Perhaps take them a hamburger or leave them a cash card from a local store or fast food restaurant, and perhaps promote your local police force to carry coupons and food cards in their patrol cars. At the very least smile, and don’t hide your eyes. Mother Teresa once said, “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

In school when you see a person that looks angry or lonely and sits by themselves at breaks, make an effort, ask him or her, “how ya doin?” DON’T ignore them. Mother Teresa also said, “Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

The only way we are going to turn around the chronic violence growing in our country is to look to beginnings not endings. Instead of squashing a violent group with weapons, which in my opinion only creates and promotes additional violence and anger from the grieving families, how about we surround them with good, BEFORE THE VIOLENCE and try with all our might to be a good example to our familes, our community and the world “Be the change you want to see.” Mahatma Ghandi. Talk to your enemies.

This won’t be easy. In fact it will, likely be very hard. But do we have a choice?

Remember when Rodney King said, “Can’t we all just get along?” Well I think that we are heading toward a series of catastrophic events in this country that will pale in comparison to those riots. And unless we can begin the healing process and begin changing the growing attitude of “Buy a gun and fight back!” to “Why are there so many more angry people lately?”, we will be doomed as a civil and compassionate, loving country.

70 years ago, FDR told America: "The measure of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, but whether we provide enough to those who have too little." I strongly feel that a big part of the problem is the fast growing poor population. Many people are sadly and unnecessarily desperate.

John Edwards recently said: "We have a moral responsibility to help those around us who are struggling. ... How we treat people in their time of their need is the test of our character." To those struggling, "we see you, we hear you, we embrace you, we are going to lift you up." A very wise statement and a truly Nobel goal.

Can’t we all just get along?

Congrats to your 1000th! Hope you have many thousands more.:toast:

Happy 1000th!
:party: