Last Wish #09 … Replacing Weapons with Well-Being (03/10/14)
or, “Less rifles, and more Righteousness”)
I currently live in western Europe, where this particular wish is really not necessary to utter. After all, there is no need to fix what isn’t broken, and gun violence is simply not a problem in my country of residence (Germany) or those countries nearby. It would be really nice to think that the other nations & communities of the world would see how effective the gun policies in Germany (& Scandinavia & Austria & Switzerland & France & Spain) are and emulate them, and yet such a combination of humility & wisdom is an exceptionally rare find in politicians, so this choice sadly remains quite unlikely to be made. Once again, our politicians will not be helping us, and once again it is WE who will have to become the change we so desperately need to see.
And hence this post — one primarily written for those living in the United States and Russia, though it is just as relevant to anyone & everyone living in a community anywhere in the world where gun ownership is prevalent and therefore gun violence, a problem.
First, let’s look at a few FACTS:
*It has been conservatively estimated that Americans currently own over 300 MILLION guns — that is an average of roughly one firearm for every man, woman & child in the United States … and in all probability, this figure is quite a bit UNDERstated. Indeed, the United States has more guns owned per 100 citizens than any other country in the world.
*In November of 2012, Forbes reported that there has been at least a 200% profit increase for gun makers since Barrack Obama first took office in 2008 (i.e. things are NOT getting better).
*A study in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery found that the gun murder rate in the U.S. is almost 20 times higher than the next 22 richest & most populous nations COMBINED. That’s over 85% of all the murders in all of those countries occurring in the United States alone.
*In 2010, WISQARS Injury Mortality Reports noted that more than 75% of guns used in suicide attempts & those involved in unintentional injuries of 0-19 year-old youths were stored in the residence of the victim, a relative, or a friend (i.e. the “bad guys” are NOT the problem).
*Not surprisingly — and quite ironically — the Harvard University Injury Control Research Center also noted that, by a margin of more than 3 to 1, Americans feel LESS safe, not safer, when others in their community own guns (i.e. guns not only make us less safe when they are used, they make us FEEL less safe even when they are not).
I realize that many people around the world have been powerfully indoctrinated by cultures where gun ownership is equated with safety and empowerment, and yet the fact of the matter remains: owning guns actually makes one both far LESS safe & far LESS powerful.
Indeed, every gun that is bought is a theft from those who are hungry but have not yet been fed; is a theft from those who are cold but have not yet been clothed; is a theft from from those who are homeless but have not yet been offered shelter.
Even worse, every gun that is brandished is a theft from those who would know Peace, and every gun that is fired is a theft from those who would enter the Kingdom of Heaven — for there can be no Peace with our enemies while we defend ourselves against them, and there can be no entrance into Paradise until we choose to courageously Care for the same …
*for every time a weapon is purchased, our Faith in the Goodness of others is weakened — a Faith in each other that is the only hope for Humanity.
*for every time a weapon is owned, our Faith in Love is shackled, a faith in the innate power of caring & Kindness that is our only hope for Happiness.
*& for every time a weapon is used, our Faith in whatever we call God is shattered — a Knowing of our innate Interconnection with all our sentient brothers & sisters, and indeed with everything in the Universe, that is our only hope for Peace.
In conclusion, we are not here to protect what is ours or “defend our own”, my Friends. Rather, we are here to give what we have and expand our Family Circle to include those who we fear.
Indeed, unconditional Love is the only Way to true Happiness — and every one of us innately knows this to be True. And every one of us also knows that Love cannot be truly given or truly received while living in fear. And yet weapons by their very nature ARE instruments of fear — in fear they are forged, in fear they are possessed, and in fear they are used.
Remember, Jesus did not ask us to “Fear not, but arm yourselves just in case.” No, he quite clearly said “Fear not … and Love your enemies”. And he didn’t say these things because they were right or moral or good. He said them because THEY WORK … Jesus understood that we that no intelligent mammal (humans included) will bite the hand that feeds; that no sentient animal will ever lash out at another who is being Kind; that no intelligent being will ever attack a member of its own herd … As such, he understood that Love functions — always & in all Ways; that the answer is not to defend ourselves aggressively against those we fear, but rather to reach out to those very people and bring them into our homes & our hearts BEFORE enmity becomes an issue. And yet this form of Love cannot ever be given powerfully while we cover ourselves in cowardice … Love cannot exist where weapons of “self-defense” abound.
And so it is my ninth “last wish” that you put down your guns, my Friends … and have some real, active, & courageous Faith in Love instead.
Amen … Let it be so.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that
something else is more important than fear.” ~ Ambrose Redmoon
“Freedom lies in being bold.” ~ Robert Frost
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ MLK Jr.
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