Thoughts
and prayers are not the answer. Guns in the hands of 'good guys' are
not the answer. Reform is the answer. Reform of education. Reform of
infrastructure. Reform of communities. Reform of government.
Thoughts and prayers do nothing. We are hoping for someone, something else to save us, but we need to take accountability for our own citizens, our own criminals, our own communities.
Law abiding citizens with firearms are no solution as long as our society is gripped by paranoia and prejudice, where some people can be profiled, pursued, attacked, and killed simply because they look or dress a certain way, and their deaths become their fault instead of those who wrongfully pulled the trigger.
Instead of attacking the symptoms by arming the populace, instead of sewing up the wounds with positive thoughts and hopeful prayers, we need to eradicate the illness itself by removing the factors that lead people to senseless violence.
This means providing for the poor and the broken who do not have enough to survive.
This means caring for the mentally ill, from the outright 'crazies' to anyone who suffers even the slightest depression, letting them know that they are loved, that they are cared for, and that they are not alone.
This means educating the proud, bringing them(and all of us, really) to look, truly look at ourselves and ensure that we do not judge others on anything other than their actions. That we do not fear or hate or cheat or marginalize or even glorify others just because they look different than we do.
If you rebuild the community, provide resources and opportunities so people do not have to steal from or hurt or kill one another to survive, and then educate the people so they realize they have access to these resources and these opportunities, then you cut down on crimes that stem from desperation and ignorance.
If you provide care and attention to the mentally unstable, help them to work through the issues that weigh upon them, abolish the stigma associated with their conditions, and educate them on proper interaction with others(which really goes for all people) then you cut down on crimes committed from faulty reasoning.
If you acknowledge the true existence of discriminatory hate, and in doing so, reeducate those that harbor it, dismantle the institutions that support and further it, alter the organizations and outlets that advertise it, and in their place, present a true and unbiased depiction of people while extending good faith and the benefit of the doubt to all individuals until they prove themselves untrustworthy(innocent before proven guilty), then you cut down on crimes of hate or fear, both overt and covert.
The problem will not resolve itself. Surrendering power to unsung heroes will not save us. We have to come together and recognize each other as equals, cast aside our preconceived notions and our judgments on the situations of others. We must pull together and help each other to save our country, our world, or else we're all doomed.
Thoughts and prayers do nothing. We are hoping for someone, something else to save us, but we need to take accountability for our own citizens, our own criminals, our own communities.
Law abiding citizens with firearms are no solution as long as our society is gripped by paranoia and prejudice, where some people can be profiled, pursued, attacked, and killed simply because they look or dress a certain way, and their deaths become their fault instead of those who wrongfully pulled the trigger.
Instead of attacking the symptoms by arming the populace, instead of sewing up the wounds with positive thoughts and hopeful prayers, we need to eradicate the illness itself by removing the factors that lead people to senseless violence.
This means providing for the poor and the broken who do not have enough to survive.
This means caring for the mentally ill, from the outright 'crazies' to anyone who suffers even the slightest depression, letting them know that they are loved, that they are cared for, and that they are not alone.
This means educating the proud, bringing them(and all of us, really) to look, truly look at ourselves and ensure that we do not judge others on anything other than their actions. That we do not fear or hate or cheat or marginalize or even glorify others just because they look different than we do.
If you rebuild the community, provide resources and opportunities so people do not have to steal from or hurt or kill one another to survive, and then educate the people so they realize they have access to these resources and these opportunities, then you cut down on crimes that stem from desperation and ignorance.
If you provide care and attention to the mentally unstable, help them to work through the issues that weigh upon them, abolish the stigma associated with their conditions, and educate them on proper interaction with others(which really goes for all people) then you cut down on crimes committed from faulty reasoning.
If you acknowledge the true existence of discriminatory hate, and in doing so, reeducate those that harbor it, dismantle the institutions that support and further it, alter the organizations and outlets that advertise it, and in their place, present a true and unbiased depiction of people while extending good faith and the benefit of the doubt to all individuals until they prove themselves untrustworthy(innocent before proven guilty), then you cut down on crimes of hate or fear, both overt and covert.
The problem will not resolve itself. Surrendering power to unsung heroes will not save us. We have to come together and recognize each other as equals, cast aside our preconceived notions and our judgments on the situations of others. We must pull together and help each other to save our country, our world, or else we're all doomed.
