I don't particularly like being topical. Months after something is posted, it's no longer a part of the public consciousness, which means that it doesn't have any lasting value.
However, I think that in this case, I'll use a few current examples. Because really, enough is enough.
A movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Sandy Hook Elementary School. And more recently, Lone Star College in Texas. All of these places were hit by some gun-toting lunatic who thought it would be a good idea to wipe the floor with unarmed innocents. I don't find it alarming that these things are happening as much as I find it alarming that these things are happening with increasing frequency. Civilians like myself want answers. Lawmakers want to make it harder to get guns, as if that'll do anything to stop further shootings from happening. We don't need more gun control. We don't need less, either. Changing gun laws has done piddly-squat so far to curb gun violence, because the recent shootings aren't a cause, they're a symptom.
America was founded on violence. We are a country, literally forged in blood, and we glorify strength and loathe weakness. For decades, we have honored an unspoken "MAN UP, YOU PUSSY!" mentality, and we try and shoulder all of our problems ourselves because we've bullshitted ourselves into believing that the only reasonable response to adversity is to face it with the unwavering strength of a modern-day Hercules. The problem is thus: We can't do that. We can't. We just don't possess that kind of mental fortitude. And where does that leave us?
People are cracking under the weight of their problems, and they're going crazy and deciding that making everybody dead is a good idea. "MAN UP!" is getting people killed, but instead of taking a moment to rethink our philosophy, we're all too quick to jump to quick fixes. We've convinced ourselves that it's our laws, not our thinking, that are the problem at hand- but again, changing the law has done nothing, and I mean nothing, to stop gun violence. I'm seeing two to three week gaps between reports of mass shootings- that's insane. I was in middle school when the Columbine High School Massacre hit the news. Now, things like Columbine are happening on a near-monthly basis. That's a terrifying trend.
Now, personally, I'm a touch hypocritical in my beliefs. I have issues asking for help, and I'm not a very sociable person, but I firmly believe that what needs to happen is that everybody stops trying to be Superman. We can't carry the weight of the world on our shoulders alone, nor should we try. We hungrily devour rags-to-riches stories, where a lone man crawls out of the gutter they're in, makes a stand, and claws their way to the top with nothing but their own blood, sweat, and tears- that's the American Dream, and it's amazing to see it realized. However, we need to stop thinking that we need to achieve our dreams alone. We don't. And we need to stop thinking that others' problems aren't our own. They are. These two simple factors are what I think are the key to ending needless violence: When we ignore the problems of others in favor of ourselves, their problems become ours. Swiftly, unexpectedly, and often violently. We need to get people the help they need before they reach that critical breaking point. I'm not saying, "Psychological evaluations for everyone!", because there aren't nearly enough shrinks to go around. I am, however, saying that some little preventative maintenance is in order. We need to keep an eye on others. Ask them if they're all right. Stop ignoring warning signs. OOC is serious business. America, we need to take a look around outside of our bubble. We need to make sure everybody around us is all right before we worry about ourselves.
Nobody else needs to die.
