Its not the Guns..

Over and over again, we are faced with a “mass” shooting. Yet again the politicians debate the gun control issue. Yet again, the discussion is on trying to find a solution to the symptom. Reduce guns, more stringent laws, increase security, Terrorism, refugees, radicalism… the list goes on. And over an over again, we go through the same exercise. If we scrutinize the shootings for the past several years, the discussion is around the same matter. Over and over again.

But Guns did not shoot anyone. People did. People who lived in our society. People who were brought up in the same educational system. People who were supposed to buy in into the same dream that is sold to us everyday. People who are supposed to conform to a pattern of predefined formulas of how to be happy and successful and in their limited definition.. Free.

How did we end up in a society where people are so troubled to inflict harm to other innocent people. Sometimes those they know and loved and worked with. Some kill their classmates, some their friends, some colleagues and coworkers.. maybe of a different “religion” and different color, and different belief. Some kill themselves in frustration. Why?

Are we asking these questions and maybe realizing that there could be something fundamentally wrong with how the society is woven today? We categorize those that incite this violence as deranged, fanatic, fundamentalists, terrorist and so on wanting to absolve ourselves from responsibility, even partially, for the environment that allows these ills to fester. We ARE that society, we are supposed to define it and take ownership for everything, are we not? The good and the evil. Where are we going wrong?

A subtle envy of those around us is present in everyone. Individually and also collectively as a family, society, nation, religion etc. We are taught, nay, coerced into accepting that success lies in being the best. Survival of the fittest. Education grades us by how well we can regurgitate theories and formulas. Friends and family grade us by how much we can outdo others in getting that dream job, the ideal partner, a shapely body, a lavish place to live, the list goes on. Society grades us by how many people we have in our “network”, how much influence we hold, how much power we wield. Each paradigm inflaming that envy, giving it a boost to claim ones rightful spot… at the top.

My religion is the best, my color is the best, my country is the best, my gender is the best, I am the best.. and I will kill or die to prove it.

Godly qualities are those that are contrary to any envy. Of tolerance and forgiveness. Our world is becoming increasingly scarce of those that uphold and preach the cult of being Godly. Those that try are ridiculed as being social outcasts. What do you mean one should be humble and meek? No.. be bold and beautiful, rich and famous, proud and strong. Force them even before they learn to speak that the world is theirs for the taking. Neglect the children and family so that you will work like a dog to earn your place in society. That is the true religion. God is only for the textbooks. Peace? Why? May the person being distracted the most with Facebook posts win. Commercialize everything, including prayer, yoga and meditation. Burn, in the American dream.

And burning we are. In fear of when the next shooting will happen. Trust in our friends and neighbors is at its last breath. The mind inebriated by the forces of society is never at peace. It is not allowed to. Our phantasmagorical freedom is challenged by every symptom of this disturbed society. Every day we lose a little bit of that to so called freedom, every day we become more and more entangled, enslaved by the whims of our mind.

Can we engage the mind in trying to acquire Godly qualities? Not without Gods help. The Gita talks of a higher taste, a service so high and pure that all other allurements fall short of their attempts to entice us into utter dumbness. Prayer is our only hope to connect to a power higher than ourselves so that the all invincible mind can be bridled. Teach this in the schools, in the colleges, in the work place, in every town and village.

Then and only then we have a chance to stop someone from pulling the trigger.

Photo by Max Kleinen on Unsplash