An Open Letter to Humanity

Dear Humanity,

Roger Ebert and Morgan Freeman believe that if the news stops reporting on them in such a grandiose way, large scale shootings like Columbine and Sandy Hook wouldn’t continue to happen. Republicans want to arm everyone from Great grandma, all the way down to wee baby Seamus. Democrats believe that getting rid of all of the guns is the solution to ending the majority violent crime. What if the way we behave as individuals is the key to preventing these tragic events?

After tragedies like Sandy Hook several things happen. First, we look to mental health professionals and religious leaders to explain the “why.” Secondly, we demand swift gun reform (whether it is for more or less stringent laws) from our politicians. Third, we quickly place blame for the killer’s obvious mental instabilities on the parents, TV and video games, the internet, or a combination of the three. Lastly, we spend a few weeks giving our kids extra kisses, we tell people we love them more often than we did before and then, after the news coverage dies down, we revert to our “normal” patterns of behavior until the next horrible event dominates our TV or computer screen. Nothing we have done thus far, has prevented another massacre. So, what is the ultimate solution to curtailing the rise in mass killings? Is there a solution? 

“We should ALL have guns” or “NOBODY should have guns!” Sure, we could all have guns and it would work to prevent large scale shootings but it isn’t illogical to assume, that as long as weapons are legal and fairly easily accessed, there will always be people willing to use them for senseless crimes. We could outlaw firearms, but it is really ignorant to assume that, because guns are illegal, people will no longer have access to or use them.(We all know how well that worked out for alcohol.)

“We could censor TV and the internet!” Let me tell you why that won’t work…When I was 9 my parents wouldn’t let me watch Dirty Dancing. Can you guess what 9 year old me did the next time my parents left the house? I asked the babysitter if we could watch Dirty Dancing and she kindly obliged, not knowing my parents didn’t want me exposed to something they deemed to lewd for my little 9 year old eyes. Could they have made it more difficult for me to have access to it? Yes, but let’s be realistic, not everyone feels Dirty Dancing is inappropriate for a 9 year old, I would have seen it somewhere. Also, everyone has their own opinions of what is and is not appropriate. It is impossible to keep our children in a bubble, they ARE going to see and hear things we don’t want them to. Would you rather they see it with you so you can offer your explanation/opinions of the act or behavior or do you want them watching it with the 17 year old baby sitter and their explanations/opinions?

“We could make all the people who want to raise a child take IQ and psychiatric exams before they are allowed to take a baby/child home!” I really shouldn’t have to explain to anyone why that won’t fly. So, that leaves us with the lesser publicized solution and the one I put my support behind....THE GOLDEN RULE!

“We should treat others as we would like to be treated and teach our children to do the same!”  In a time where the majority has their face buried in a smart phone or tablet 24/7, most people don't realize how much their own behavior influences the behavior of those around them or how much their own behavior is influenced by the words and actions of others. How many of you have thought “The next time _____ happens, I’m going to go crazy.”? Most of you have, myself included, and I will bet my ginger soul that every single one of these killers had the same thought right before some kid threw a slushy in his/her face or some guy cut him off on the highway. Let’s face it, some people are just bat shit insane and will literally “go crazy” when_____blank happens. There is no explanation for why they want to wear their girlfriend’s skin or kill helpless children, instead of drinking or medicating their problems away like “normal” people. There is much to speculate, so what DO we know?

We do know that being nice IS nice, and that it will generally improve a person’s mood to be on the giving or the receiving side of a good deed. To my knowledge, nobody has ever given “someone held a door for me,” “he told me to have a nice day,” “she helped me put groceries into my car” or being on the receiving end of  any good deed as an excuse for killing somebody. Unfortunately, most offenders kill themselves without giving us a reason for the atrocious acts they committed. Maybe it's because they are cowards unwilling to face the justice system, or maybe it’s because they know there is no acceptable reason they could give for taking an innocent persons life, maybe they are just 'insane in the membrane" and have no motive.. Whatever the reason, I am NOT suggesting that the victims of any violent crimes, especially the kids in Sandy Hook, were mean people or did anything to bring this devastation upon themselves. I simply believe that if everyone made an effort to treat strangers with kindness, like a potential friend, instead of  treating them with contempt, like someone looking to get in our way, it will have a much more profound and positive effect on violent crime than any gun law, censorship or plastic bubble ever will.

Sincerely,
A Dreamer, hopefully not the only one.