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El Paso - 20 dead, 26 injured
... Gilroy - 3 dead, 13 injured ... Dayton – 9, dead 27 injured.
In one week and the 66 injured
doesn’t count hundreds of others traumatized by presence or who lost
loved ones or whose family and friends were hurt in the melees. Harm
ripples out from the core.
Politicians, public figures and celebrity publicity hounds all
express disbelief, horror, revulsion and ‘thoughts and prayers' for the
survivors and families of victim. They like to pretend they care.
The usual suspects will demand that we ban guns to make the shootings
stop. It is the wrong solution for the wrong reasons.
All of the shooters were young. We can reasonably conclude that they
suffered some combination of isolation, immaturity, detachment and anger
with a society they couldn’t understand or cope with.
Social media is killing our society. Electronic contact is banal and
sterile. A person can put another down or insult another person without
risking a well-deserved slap or punch in the mouth. It is easy to
participate in the on-line ‘piranha syndrome’ and join in supporting an
insult or put-down: “Yeah (he / she) is a real loser.”
At the same time, we are losing the ability to read facial expressions
and body language that warn us when we are treading on socially dangerous
ground. Most profoundly, people who are in face to face contact are often
not in full presence; they are listening for a beep that signals a new
message has arrived, and don’t realize that picking up the cell phone or
tablet is an insult to the person across the table who has been relegated
to secondary or even unimportant status.
Politicians and governments love hatred; they
thrive on division and pit one group against others by providing them
benefits to ‘level the playing field’. It is a charade to fuel the fires
of envy and hatred.
We are losing the personal responsibility core of our civilization.
Loyalty and honour are rooted in the family and friendships, in the
community and finally in the tribe of the nation. We learn that
well-being and security of family and friendships is more important than
our own. We learn that sacrifice is not something to avoid; it is
sometimes a necessity to serve the greater good. We learn to appreciate
and reward the sacrifices of others.
Commitments to family and community require us to ignore differences and
focus on our common interests and desires. Colour and ethnic origins are
interesting side issues for exploration, not causes for envy and hatred.
Inclusiveness is a mindless, synthetic goal that avoids personal
responsibility. We are told we must include people who avoid personal
responsibility, make poor decisions, act irresponsibly and blame their dysfunctionality
on outside influences. They are the perpetual victims of circumstance.
We have groups of people who are openly hostile towards those who look
different or don’t act and think the same way as they do. They have never
learned the rules of tribal interdependence. We exist in an artificial
world of self-containment and independence in a society that survives
through mutual aid, respect and tolerance.
We have never before experienced the abundance of opportunities that
confront us today. Boundless opportunities are meaningless unless we have
learned the disciplines to turn opportunities into reality. That brings
us back to the personal responsibility core of civilization. Without an
understanding of commitment, honor and loyalty we lack the ability to
turn opportunity into reality.
Humans are social and tribal animals. At every level, we develop a social
order with leaders and a descending order of lesser beings. As leaders
change, the order below shifts to accommodate. Those who cannot or will
not accept the social order (outlaws) are shunned, ostracized and finally
cast out.
Personal independence carries with it the responsibility to do no harm.
If our actions infringe on anther’s rights or security of the person, we
risk a deserved demotion in rank. If our actions are a flagrant abuse, we
risk a demotion to outcast and a prison cell.
Tens of thousands believe that rank or station gives them immunity from
tribal rules, but they delude themselves. Inevitably, tribal rules will
reassert themselves through rebellion. The disconnect between those who
govern and society at large cannot survive. It is a matter of time.
Canada tends to mirror the American experience. We are not immune, just
not on the same page yet.
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