Violence Is a Cultural Sickness

We have become anesthetized to the violence that happens more and more frequently in our society. It is an equal opportunity outrage that has racist, religious, and just insane anger leading to the deaths of more and more people. We cannot depend upon changes in the laws to cure a cultural violence sickness that has people choosing to vent their frustrations and hatred upon innocent people.

Congress and the Executive Branch choose to ignore actions to curb access to the weapons of destruction that have been created to kill in wars. Congress is generally focusing on placating their extreme members, their major contributors, and the powerful lobbyist groups. It is up to us to express outrage at the inaction and to express the need for a change in resolving conflicts that don’t involve blowing people’s heads off or mangling their guts on the sidewalks of America.

Violence cannot be accepted as an expected occurrence in our everyday lives. We can do better. We must do better. It is up to each of us to speak out against hatred due to whatever cause.  Non-violence starts at the individual level, with a focus on showing by example that it is truly possible to love one another, and recognizing that there is much more to unite us than divide us.