Friday, July 20, 2012

Downward Trend

I sit here struggling to find words, not because I have nothing to say-oh no on the contrary I have plenty to say-, its just because anything I want to say is not important. Words right now are empty, meaningless, hollow, insignificant. Words won't erase what has happened. It won't undo the damage. It won't bring anybody back to life. So here I sit in numbed silence. But not in stunned silence. Nothing about what happened in Colorado earlier this eveining. Why would it shock me? How many times has this scenario taken place before? Far too often. It happens seemingly every week. And the news replays it over and over again, regurgitating all the horror every hour until eventually we become de-sensitized by it all. And we all feel disgusted, angry, sad and we send out our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. We talk about how tragic it is and how the world is a terrible place sometimes. And yet, we do nothing about it. We talk and talk and talk but yet we take no action. We can all feel as sorry as we want to. We can all feel sad or disgust. But what do we do about it? We move on. Until the next time this same thing happens. I am not throwing the blame at any of us for these brutal, horrific, reprehensible acts. The individiuals who carry these violent acts out are accountable for their own despicable actions. But my point is that we do nothing in the grand scheme of things to offer up a different scenario. We talk about how things are so awful and how things need to change but do we actually take any initiative to change things? I think we all can say we don't. I am not excluding myself from this criticism. I am guilty of this as well. Is it that we just believe in our hearts that this is our fate and that there is simply nothing we can do to change any of it? That this type of violence will go on as long as there is life on this planet? Are we really that cynical? I don't know the answer but I do know it's forced me to take a good long hard look in the mirror and to really question myself. I don't like this trend we have of tragedies happening and so many people dying or suffering at the hands of another and to have the news channels do nothing but take advantage of the whole thing for ratings. They give the perpetrator exactly what they wanted when they did this unspeakable thing: notoreity. And that gives the next person with a certain degree of callous indifference an idea that grows into a plan which becomes the next big news story. It's a seemingly endless cycle of sickness. I don't know about you but I don't want to keep riding on this speeding train headed for imminent derailment. I want to find a way to stop this train. I want to find a way to save everyone from any more suffering. But if I just simply get off and let everyone else stay on that train, I will have blood on my hands also. I will have contributed to the suffering. And I don't know why we say this is all senseless, mindless violence. I think it makes sense. It's the steady downhill degradation of humanity we are in. The decay of common decency and the eradication of empathy towards others. This decline in the human condition has been happening for decades now, the morality slowly deterioating, but it seems to be happening at a much faster pace these days. Why? I don't have the answer but I know that this is the key question that must be asked. What do all of these atrocities seem to have in common? A man without a conscience, who has absolute total disregard for human life, contempt for his fellow man, and an indescrible amount of callous indifference towards anyone else. And also, a whole lot of weaponry and ammunition. How does he get his hands on these weapons is what we all ask in amazement. Well, because these type of weapons are made, manufactured and are accessible. These two things added together equals a devastatating, malicious, deadly combination. And it keeps happening. No matter what we tell ourselves or each other, no matter how often we hear it on the news, it doesn't stop. It goes on and on and on. Like I said, its a sick cycle, almost as if we are on a carousel at some diabolical carnival where individuals keep buying tickets to take their turn at causing mass chaos and complete panic. What is it going to take for this trend to be reversed? I can't do it alone. You can't do it alone. We MUST do this together. The answer isn't simple. And it won't be easy. But how many  more men, women and children have to shed blood for us to finally step up and say enough is enough. We will no longer accept this trend or this fate. We are in control of our own fate. It's up to us. Are you ready, willing and able to fight against this degradation of the human soul? I know I am. I can no longer go on living this way. It has to change. There are no more excuses to use. There isn't any more time to waste. We must act now. We must begin to turn this all around now. Lets no longer only talk about how tragic and sad it all is. Lets no longer talk at all. Lets act. I believe in my heart and know in my mind that we can undo this fate. We cannot bring any of these victims back, we cannot go back in time and erase the misery or the tragedy, but we can make sure that right here in this moment and from now on, none of them have died in vain. Lets make a change. I believe in a better world. And with all of us standing together united, it will not only be a belief of mine but a reality.

RIP to all the victims
and prayers to the families affected

Mel