There is something seriously wrong with this world and its interpretations of cause and effect. We find things wrong with our lives or the life of the nation and then cry off "not our/my fault". Apparently, nothing in this world is connected and we send that message loud and clear to the kids, to ourselves, to others. It begins with the first time we excuse misdeeds and reinforce that every time we do so again. Responsibility is negated, neglected to a harmful cumulative degree.
The anomie of society worsens until it is basically a growing well-fed philosophy of too many. Consequentially, the egregiously antisocial behavior grows and grows. Until we do not recognize our surroundings any longer. We wring our hands and cry woe is us to the heavens but continue the harmful behavior, the pattern of violence grows exponentially and becomes imprinted on too many souls and hardened hearts.
And then we wonder and pontificate. We blame others, claiming neglect, conspiracy, prejudice, and the media incorporates this within their own mantra. They and others see no connection, no causality between these statements and avoidances of guilt, instead finding myriad others on whom to lay blame and the rising tide of violence and separation among people.
We cry out against gun violence, bearing the shame of being the nation most involved with mass shootings. No, we do not institute better laws, better education; instead, we say, better we arm everyone so the 'good' guy can shoot the 'bad' guy. Yeah, others will be caught up in the violence of this undisciplined gunfight, but you know, collateral damage - whatcha' gonna' do? Life.
The NRA shouts out persecution but refuses to engage in sane and necessary talks re reform plans. Better to let people die, of course, so much better than the alternative of sensible limitations on gun ownership and accessibility - and consequences. And on where the blame lands and must be addressed.
However, there must also be added a most unpopular addition re this gun violence. I could be crucified for saying this, but what must be said, must be acknowledged if we are to make any headway in this horrific area. When gun acquisition is made popular, expressed as proof of manhood, when illegal guns and sales of them proliferate, then cultures which enable these beliefs are at fault.
The guy who is an outlier, be he a teen or disgruntled worker, but knows guns well, has access to them, perhaps even owns them and then proceeds to shoot up the community school, or supermarket or park or block parties, concerts, workplace, wherever there are people - well, blame the culture and those who espouse and enable. Blame must be shared in proportion to their complicity. And it matters not whether the community is white, black, pink or purple. It is the philosophy of a deteriorating society in a wicked vicious cycle, colluding in its own destruction.
There is another area on the globe besides us that is engulfed in almost constant violence. Whether that violence can ever be stopped, given the claims of the warring sides is not the issue here. Rather the issue is the enabling language openly slanted, growing its tilt ever faster, as antisemitism has become popular, a fashion of the oh so current avant garde members of the extreme ends of the political spectrum, insidiously infecting so called moderates, an endangered species of our times.
So, Palestinian dead are deemed martyrs, teens, innocents, as resisters, as the downtrodden in a fight for what - the West Bank, otherwise correctly known as Judea and Samarih, their Biblical names, while the Israeli army, going in to save its civilian population are deemed attackers, criminals, even as they expose many terrorist labs with tens of thousands of explosive devices, tunnels dug into Israeli cities and villages. Targeted are innocents going about daily living, in 'recognized' Israel, never individuals, personalized, only lumped together, as unworthy of recognition as human beings - teens, the elderly, the children, the parents. discounted, devalued as humans unworthy of respect and human rights.
When violence is waved away, deemed selectively defensible, the rest of the world catches the same virus, and hear the go bell. Organized raids on stores, culminating with so many lockups of merchandise that shopping is almost ugly. Even the local drugstore now has to lockup all - from drugs to toothpaste to ice cream. From poor to wealthy, teens and adults are finding themselves feeling out of mainstream, hence their thoughtless violence and robberies or swift eruptions at some disagreement, large or small, of major or minor consequence.
Major societal breakdown, violence and anomie, feelings of being untethered to others - all this has or knows no boundaries, is destructive to the extreme.
Somehow, sometime, very soon, we must understand the necessity of being together, as a most powerful one. Time is short.
Only together.
Working together, in growing acceptance of our shared humanity, in harmony, understanding, overcoming difficulties together, is the only way to go.
Together and together to rebuild America.
Together. Together. Together.
Together we can
HEAL THE WORLD.
HEAL YITZY!
Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah
May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu.
May he be granted a timely and complete healing.
May he always remain on the road of faith, healing and strength.
May we all walk on that same road.
May Hashem hear all our voices raised in prayer.
Amen. Amen.
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