Struggles, Part 2 – Guns & Jesus Edition

What is it that drives us to multiply the emotional sins of our past? Why do we amplify the trauma given us by our parents or ancestors? And why in the name of [pick your supreme being] do we allow these school shootings to continue? In the Guns & Jesus side of the argument they want to put religion in our public schools. THAT should help, right? History has shown us that when you inject religion nothing but real and lasting peace comes about. We all know how if you pray in a foxhole the incoming bullets just bounce off.

It almost feels like we thrive on tragedy. But I don’t think that is it. I think we are scared of change. Like if we admit we’re codependent on a disturbing status quo of societal self-harm in the name of a farcical “freedom” concept we will be called a weak or a masochist. Dare we admit our feelings of loneliness and despair from being bullied or marginalized lest they paint us into a corner? We don’t want to feel alone and we don’t want to look weak or play a fool.

Well, we need to get something straight first; those are interpersonal problems, not spiritual ones. If you won’t follow a moral code without worshipping a prepackaged deity, you certainly won’t construct a real moral code in any meaningful way if you find a deity to follow. If the religion-as-character-foundation is your plan just know you are accepting a leash, not an enhancement of your moral being.

Add to this our ingrained machismo learned from years of immersion in toxic masculinity, create the right atmosphere, and violence is the obvious result (if you think this statement is hogwash I encourage you to watch the documentary on Woodstock ’99, see also: add Limp Bizkit). Sometimes the violence is against others, and sometimes against ourselves. But humans remain terrifyingly adept at tearing each other’s flesh with ease and increasing efficiency.

We know more about the human brain today than ever before and yet our behavioral healthcare remains underfunded and stunted. Rather than giving therapists the resources they need to help solve these problems we cut funding and access because ‘“socialism” or some stupid shit. There are times I’m surprised the ammosexuals don’t just advocate for gun socialism. You know? Like have the government hand everyone a gun and let chance work out the details. This album (idea) has all the greatest hits of the gun-nut culture: 1) not perpetually ongoing, 2) supports gun manufacturers, 3) biblical (Old Testament-y) albeit modernized, 4) cannot be considered helpful to those in need in any way, 5) and somebody gets hurt or dies (who’s up for a prayer service/candlelight vigil!?).

Of course this idea is absurd. The right would never do something to help everyone even if it was only performative. Besides, why give the guns away? You can get a gun no problem. My home state of origin has essentially neutralized all gun laws of any kind. I mean, what the fuck could go wrong in that equation? “Do you have multiple violent felonies on your record? No big deal. I’m sure you’re not a threat now, especially if you’ve accepted Christ.” On a side note, ask the same mental furballs that are cool with arming violent offenders if they would be cool with those same felonious individuals teaching their kids and you will get a different answer. There are a lot of mental gymnastics involved when you want to contradict yourself and then claim it to be legitimate because of a collection of parables written by drunk clerics 1500 years ago.

At a time when our healthcare system has the research and knowledge to truly address the crisis, we stop mid-swing. The system is woefully understaffed and suffers burnout at an alarming rate. Why would a nurse want to take on someone that swings at you or spits at you when they can work at an ambulatory surgery center for more money and less risk? Why would a med student pick psychiatry when your patients likely never get 100% better and you come out of residency with $500k of debt? Especially when they can be an ortho or an anesthesiologist and make more money while seeing much more visible and consistent results…

There is not an easy answer here. When I say “easy” I don’t mean a solution simple to decipher. By “not an easy answer” I mean it will somehow disrupt our lives a little. We might be inconvenienced a little. We might have to submit proof of mental stability in the form of a test before buying a gun or a large single-purchase of ammunition. We might have to have trauma-informed specialists in schools to look out for at-risk youth. We might have to consider giving up weapons that fire ammunition designed to cause organ damage irreparable by even the most skilled of surgeons (yes the AR-15 – I don’t care if you call it an assault rifle or a noise stick it is specifically designed to reliably end human lives). Read: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/parkland-shooter-s-ar-15-was-designed-kill-efficiently-possible-ncna848346.

There has to be something we can agree on. I can say our polarization is troubling and labeling the opposition is clearly something of which I am guilty. But I really believe I could stop if we could at least find a compromise that makes a difference provided that compromise is NOT adding more guns or arming teachers. Our schools should not be battlefields.

Like most people I don’t know the solution. I just know we can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing. Perversion of the Constitution is not an unimpeachable excuse for everyone to have a judge/jury/execution-ing device on their person at all times (sidebar: fuck Antonin Scalia).

Now is as good a time as any to remind you to tell someone that you love them tonight. We are more fragile than we want to admit or accept and our lives can change in an instant.