Chatter Vault

In light of the recent shootings, which sadly seem to be an all too common occurrence nowadays, I am wondering when any real serious improvements will be made to help prevent this from happening more and more?

We can pass all the gun control laws we want and put a policeman on every corner, but those would only be putting a band aid on a very deep wound that is a symptom of some very serious troubles our society is experiencing. Helping correct these issues would prevent the wound from opening up in the first place, or at least greatly reduce the occurrences.

Though the recent recession the economy is facing has changed many outlooks as to what is important in life, the fact remains that more people than not are living ego-based lives. By ego, I mean the idea that you are the sum of what you own. In contrast, an ego-free lifestyle is one that is lived for the experience and for the joys of life that can lead you to improve yourself spiritually and mentally. Too many live their lives as a bundle of shallow externally based emotions and objects that help fill in the gaps. The lack there of makes them feel like a shell because those are the only things that give their life meaning and substance. You can still enjoy the luxuries of life and still be ego-free as long as you recognize that the thing that gives meaning to your life is your own outlook and your desire for happiness. And vice versa. You may not have the best fortunes in life, but you alone are the one who is able to decide if that will affect your happiness.

“What irritates us in the first place is that our wishes are not fulfilled. But remaining upset does nothing to help fulfill those wishes. So we neither fulfill our wishes nor regain our cheerfulness. This disconcerted state, from which anger can grow, is most dangerous. We should never try to let our happy frame of mind be disturbed. Whether we are suffering at present or have suffered in the past, there is no reason not to be happy.” –His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Sadly, for those already experiencing mental issues, that may not happen. Their outlook is gloomy because of how others perceive them and how they perceive themselves. They focus on what they don’t have instead of what they do or could should they work towards a goal. Instead of realizing that the outside forces do not determine the value of ones life, they often come to the conclusion that the only thing they do have control over his using physical violence to somehow how validate their existence, despite the fact that it is a negative motive.

Another aspect of today’s world that may add fuel to the fire is the lack of tradition in most modernized societies. I am not an advocate for organized religion, but the important part from any sort of tradition (religious or cultural) is that it often provides youth with a coming of age. They have some sort of marker that forces them to shed their childhood and step into adulthood. Tradition does have many negative aspects since many turn to the radical, oppressive view that often turns back towards the ego based life style instead of using the stories and lessons as metaphors for how to treat people better and become a better person. That too can damage an already damaged person. But back to the coming of age; I think males in particular are prone to this. We woman still have a physical coming of age that is beyond our control that signals womanhood when we have our first period. This may seem minor, but it is celebrated in many cultures and gives us some sort of proof we are entering the adult world. Boys already have a serge of hormones that often turns to aggression, and if they do not have some sense that they are going to be seen as a man and have no way of earning it, they could see violence as a show of dominance and therefore would become a man.

Again, we are talking about someone who is not all there to begin with. They need to be knocked back into their place, and often the lack of a male figure in their life could contribute to this. I am in no way saying a single mother couldn’t raise respectable a man (our President being a perfect example of a well raised kid by a single woman), and many do, but they do need some sort of model to show them how to turn that anger into a positive force. It doesn’t even necessarily need to be a father, but any strong male figure to help them on the journey to adulthood. Even if they do have another male in their life, if they aren’t the strong role model that can have a positive effect on their life, the child’s anger will still rage.

And yet another note that could be a factor in this ever growing violence in our society is the overpopulation of this world. Hear me out. I think from the above statements it is clear we still have many animalistic tendencies. Whether we like it or not, we are part of the animal kingdom. And one thing the animal kingdom often faces is nature’s way of balancing. When a pool of salamanders becomes overpopulated, one will actually grow teeth and begin devouring others until the population is more controlled. Afterwards, the killer goes back to being a normal salamander.

We are in a transitional period as a species. So many are clinging to the extreme part of traditions and beliefs that do not allow person growth but do promote intolerance and ignorance while the others float in doubt of the purpose of life and that we may be nothing more than biological bodies and once we die, that’s it. Some can’t handle either. I think we need to look at these violent individuals and ask ourselves are they our only problems or is there something greater we need to work on as a society to betteri our motives, our views, our knowledge, our goals?