We have been waging a war in our everyday lives between safety/security and freedom. This unchecked discussion plays out in the headlines of newspapers, on the internet, and on TV news programs. We see poverty, disease, mass shootings, religious freedom, voting rights, immigration, prison reform, police reform, tax reform, mental health, drug addiction, sexual assault, gender identity, political corruption, monetary policy, the stock market, Bitcoin, the entire legal profession, healthcare, jobs, the price of gas, the price of food, homelessness, the role of the police, the military, religion, science, and more... Covid has killed more than one million Americans and we are lucky to have a vaccine. We grapple with the right to own a gun in this society and the apparent lack of restrictions or responsibilities attached to that right. Where are we headed?
"The future is very bright (and the food is delicious there)"
Rights. The right to own firearms. The right to Life and Liberty. We are told by those who value the right to a gun that their right to do so carries no restrictions and NO responsibilities. We are told that there would be no freedom without unrestricted, unregulated gun ownership. That the government would move, at any moment, to TAKE AWAY guns and pacify its citizens into submission. We are told that tyranny is the exact opposite of open carry. We are told that there is nothing that can be done to curb violence and that it is the price we pay for freedom in this country. We are reminded constantly that guns do not kill and that we should compare these deaths to car accidents or the flu. We are told that mentally ill people kill. We are told that ONLY criminals will be able to get guns. We are told that the good guys just need to arm themselves. We are told that, paradoxically, we need to worship the police AND take matters into our own hands. We are told that armed insurrection is equivalent to political discourse and a redress of grievances. We are told that our FEELINGS don't matter and then offered thoughts and prayers. We are meant to be written off as morally empty and evil if we disagree or want these topics opened up for discussion.
My life is very important. My family is very important. My way of life is very important. My life is more important than yours. I am special. I am privileged. I am unique. The rules don't apply to me, but they damn well better apply to you. I want what belongs to me. I want mine. I deserve everything and you don't matter. I don't care what you think, feel, say, or do. You are different. You don't belong. Go back to where you came from. I was here first. I am a real person, and you are not. You are a joke, a punchline, a meme. You are coming to steal everything and take everything away. I am a winner, and you are a loser. You smell. You look funny, talk funny, pray funny. You suck. You are stupid. You are evil. I don't trust you. You seem to be everywhere, and I wish I could snap my fingers and make you go away. You are lazy, shiftless, rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, prostitutes, and deadbeats. You don't pay your own way. You want free stuff. You are leeches. You are not "real." You are here to lie, steal, cheat, and kill me in my sleep. You break into my house. Your rape my daughters. You get my sons hooked on drugs. You deliberately destroy the economy, wreck schools, take away jobs. You don't want to work.
We need to go back to a simpler time of right and wrong. We need to go back to family values. We need to go back to church and put God in the classroom. We need everyone else to shut the $#%& up and go away. We need a strong leader who will make you pay for what you have done, who will crush you and put you back in your place...
I need protection. I need to be prepared. Everyone else is stupid. I am smart. I am never wrong because I know what is right and wrong. I can tell the difference. I have common sense. My bible tells me everything I need to know even though I barely read it. I don't have to. I was here first. You are an invader. You loot stores, burn cities, kill each other over drugs, and do nothing but whine. I need protection from you. You are different. You are not like me. You vote for the wrong guys. You have the wrong friends. You think bad thoughts. You are liars. The lying is constant and loud. The lies are everywhere. I need to make you go away and make everything go back to being right.
I have a right to defend myself. I have a right to own a gun. I have a right to my own opinion. I have a right to protect myself and my family. I have a right to carry a gun anywhere I want to, whenever I want, and shoot anyone who tries to harm me. I am in charge. I am in control. No one is going to tell me what to do. No one. Especially if you are not like me - and you are not like me. We are not the same. We are different. You don't belong here. I do. You don't agree with me? Then #$%$# you. I wish you were gone.
In our country we have lived through a great deal of violence. We wiped out 90% of the indigenous population and forced them from their lands. We brought slaves in to be chained for generations in the fields and later into factories, ghettos, and prisons. We fought an open civil war. We discriminated against the Irish, the Poles, the Italians, the Jews, the blacks, the Muslims, and more, much more. We rounded up Asians and put them in camps. You name it.
We poisoned the water, the air, and devalued people in the name of progress and "freedom." We let big corporations take away our jobs and plunder our natural resources. We grew our military complex into something that was too big to fail. We drew red lines on maps and told poor people where they could live, who to vote for, and what education they could get. We held out the promise of a dream and turned it constantly into a nightmare. We divided each other into groups and then divided again and again and again - hoping that each time, we would come out on top.
We talked about love but had none in our hearts. We talked about justice but had no empathy or compassion. We talked about being great but never wanted to put in the work. We let lawyers find ways to screw us out of everything. We assumed that everyone cheated, everyone stole, everyone lied, everyone would stab us in the back. We let it happen. We never read the fine print or understood what we were signing. We never understood what consequences would come and everything could be fixed with easy credit. We just wanted things to make sense again. We wanted to believe in something important and larger than ourselves. We wanted to believe in equality, truth, justice, hope, love, and we wanted it all now, the easy way. My way or the highway. Like it or leave it. Put up or shut up. Agree or go home. No compromise. No discussion. No surrender. Do not give an inch or they will take a mile....
I am describing a blend of fear and paranoia. When we talk about a melting pot society, we talk about taking all the best from everywhere in the world and letting it flourish here in a land of opportunity and freedom. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. People are generally good. People are generally hard working, generous, friendly, kind, caring, and open. They want good things for themselves and their families. They want to follow their dreams and build something for the future. They want peace, security, and cooperation. People want respect, dignity, and to be heard and seen. People want to freely express themselves. People want to be in love. People want to live and enjoy their lives, to share moments with family, with friends, with community. People want to achieve great things and feel valued. People want to live without fear of being shot while picking up groceries, while sitting at prayer, while sending kids to school.
People don't want to be alone. People don't want to be isolated. People don't want to be divided. People want to see other smiling faces. People want to be happy. People want to live. People have a right to live. People have a right to pursue their happiness. People have a responsibility to each other. People have a responsibility, a duty to their communities, their states, their nation, their world. People can solve any problem they put their mind to. People can work together to do just about anything and everything and where they focus their time, effort, and energy, seeming miracles can happen. Cures can be found. Space can be explored. Nations can be healed. Nature can be restored.
People can decide to respect each other. People can each decide to be kind to one another, to forgive one another their small differences. People can embrace a future made by individuals who treat each other fairly and expect to be treated the same. The future is very bright (and the food is delicious there). Think about being less cynical today. Think about what it means to be a friend to someone in need. Think about what you can do to help.......
We can and must do better.
RICK
Billion Hero Studios
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