The Blame Game

In the wake of gun violence many want someone or something to blame.

Many seem to want to blame guns for the violence. Some say it is violent television and games that have created a violent culture. Some even want to blame our mental health system.

But they are all wrong.

Guns can no more be blamed for gun violence than cars can be blamed for drunk-drivers or forks be blamed for obesity.

I don't believe violent media creates a violent culture, I think it is our violent culture that creates violent media.

Sure, there may evidence of mental health in the cases of some of these shooters, but poor mental health cannot excuse the reoccurring darkness of human history.

We can ban guns, we can stop violent movies and games from being made, and we can slap labels like "insane" and "monster" on those that commit atrocities but it will never get to the real root of the problem.

Evil.

The post-modern existentialism and the acceptance of the idea that humans are no more than physical beings that resulted from evolutionary forces have not prepared us for the reality that we are all caught in a supernatural battle between Good and Evil.

Since Cain killed Able humans have struggled against evil and it is only in context of that realization that we can hope to deal with evil in our world.

We can't pass laws to protect us from evil. We can't build walls to keep it out or cages to keep it in. The reason is that evil lives in the heart of every man, woman, and child.

Only when we realize the meaning of "we do not battle against flesh and blood" can we hope to push back against the evil in our world.

The Wrong People?

In light of all the "fiscal cliff" talk recently I have been wondering if we have not been sending the wrong people to Washington D.C.

Many of the politicians that end up being elected to public office are lawyers.

Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with lawyers. I am just wondering if this is the best profession from which to choose the men and women that run our government.

Lawyers are essentially wordsmiths. They make a living based on how well they can use and interpret words. So how might things be different inside the beltway if we started electing men and women from other professional backgrounds?

What if we sent more accountants or CFO's? Is it possible more decisions would be made on the fiscal impact on the country rather than the political implications on the next election cycle?

I guarantee that if we started demanding better we would get it, and not just in the form of new candidates the next time around.

Politicians these days are like chameleons, they change to match their environment. And if more people were truly committed more to getting our fiscal house in order than to getting our pet projects funded then even the current elected officials would magically become better at math and basic economics.

But maybe the real problem is that We the People are so engrossed with tabloids and celebrity worship that we don't even want to send the right people. Is it possible that the majority of voters care more about how well a person can deliver a speech than they are about the candidate's resume?

If that is the case; are we electing the wrong people or have we simply become the wrong people?