Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turnin'

The song has nothing to do with what I want to talk about, but I needed a title for this post, and that song came to mind.  It’s been a while, again, but I’m here because some things have been banging around in my head.  And it’s time to put it in writing so maybe I’ll stop waking up in the morning wishing that I’d sit down and say it already.

For years we’ve been saying that we can’t do anything about these mass shootings.  We’ve got a constitutional amendment that prohibits us from making things better.  We can’t mess with perfection.  But if perfection is sitting by while innocent people get killed because we don’t do anything about it, then I think I’m done with “perfection.”

There will be those of you who say that gun laws and registration aren’t going to change anything.  Moreover, they’re going to make things worse.  And so far, you certainly aren’t wrong, because the gun laws we do have don’t seem to be working.  What this tells me is that maybe we need to look at this from a new perspective.

Maybe it’s time we look for new solutions to a problem which hasn’t been addressed because certain people on both sides of the aisle have been neglecting their responsibilities; it’s time we address the problems with gun ownership and gun violence in this country.  To say or do otherwise is an injustice to every life lost due to careless governance.

I don’t have all the answers, but at least I’m trying to find solutions.  And I’m no scientist or expert, but I know that reading about school shootings and mass shootings and church shootings and terrorist attacks isn’t going to change anything.  It is only when I stand up and say, “This isn’t right.  We need to change something,” that change can occur.

Our Second Amendment was written with the idea that each state would have a militia—a place where people would gather to learn about and teach about weapons and warfare and field medicine and how to ensure that people who are willing to stand up and fight for something are doing it to make a better place for everyone—not just some of us.  The militia was meant to serve as the first point of contact in emergencies—to be there when people in their state needed help.  And they were the first line of defense when anyone, including the federal government, sought to curtail the laws and rights of its citizens.

But rather than choosing to work with the mindset of a militia, we’ve got people touting the right of anyone and everyone to have weapons and use them, because it’s our “God-given right.”  Not even God in the Bible allowed everyone in the tribes to fight for Him.  He tasked his commanders with choosing those who would be given weapons.  And maybe it’s time that we took a page from religion and realize that not everyone is willing or able to handle the responsibility of having a weapon.

Maybe it’s time that we change how we look at gun ownership in America.

I’d like to leave that up to the States, of course, because that’s where the militia idea first started.  It seems fitting, then, that states should have the right to decide how to run and govern their militia.  But then you run into a lot of other problems on a federal level—especially when it comes to federal crimes and gun-smuggling across state lines (look at Chicago.)  But this is what I’m trying to say: it’s time we talked about this.

Because what we’ve been doing hasn’t been working.  And I know there are greater minds out there than my own who can look for a better solution than the antagonistic and morbid rhetoric we continue to hear every time another innocent life is lost due to gun violence.

And maybe we won’t get it right the first time; maybe we’ll have to try again.  But if we continue to do nothing, then I posit that we are no better than the people pulling the trigger and ending those innocent lives.

Smell the Roses -- Blow Out the Candle

Life is short.  There’s no two ways around that.  Sure, there are things that live shorter lives than we do, and conversely there are creatures that live longer.  But all in all?  Life is short.  And every moment of it is precious.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- A Man with a Dream that Changed America

If you've never heard the speech that Martin Luther King Jr. gave on August 28, 1963, I urge you to listen to it.  The words and the work that he did set in motion a change in American history that resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

His last speech is equally illuminating--and while there may be a great deal of controversy regarding the man and his methods, his ideas were integral in creating the spark of change within our country.  And the flames created by that spark burn still.

Some of you may remember Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame, and part of the reason she remained with the show was due in part to a conversation that she had with Dr. King.

During the first year of the series, Nichols was tempted to leave the show, as she wanted to pursue a Broadway career; however, a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., changed her mind. She has said that King personally encouraged her to stay on the show, telling her that he was a big fan of the series. He said she "could not give up" because she was playing a vital role model for black children and young women across the country, as well as for other children who would see blacks appearing as equals. ^{[9][1][2][10]} It is also often reported that Dr. King added that "Once that door is opened by someone, no one else can close it again." (taken from her Wikipedia page)

While this is just one example of a life changed by Dr. King's ideas and encouragement, every one of our lives, in some way,  has been changed because of him.

So today on the day when we celebrate the man--his life's work and his accomplishments, I hope you will take a moment to reflect upon the great change that his ideas have given to us and the legacy of that change in our lives and the lives of others.

Here are some other sites you might want to consider visiting to learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Wikipedia Page
Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
James Earl Ray's Wikipedia Page


There is one last thing I want to say about everything I listened to and read today: no matter what you may think of the Civil Rights Movement; no matter what you believe about the man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and no matter whether you believe what has happened since then has been a success or a failure--the idea that we should treat people with fairness--that a person's character should matter more than how they look or what they believe, and that there should be equal opportunities given to all people--is important.  No one wants to be excluded, made fun of, left out, or discriminated against.  No on wants to suffer indignities because someone else wants to pretend they don't exist--or they don't matter.  So consider that the next time you're making a decision that will affect other people.  The world will be a better place for it.

The Moments In Between

So I've been writing this blog for a little over a week now, and as the days go on, I find myself stuck sometimes, like today--trying to figure out what I want to say that I haven't all ready said.  I look around for something interesting to talk about and find myself at an impasse.

But you told me the possibilities were endless! you say.  You said inspiration was easy to come by!

And it's true.  Those two things haven't changed.  What's changed is my ability to make those possibilities and inspiration into something that is, in my opinion, worth reading.  And that, I suppose, is the hard part.

I could, for instance, talk to you about my gaming addiction with World of Warcraft.  I could talk to you about a few Kickstarter projects I pledged to last year.  I could even wax poetic, or talk about a new song I heard that I thought was interesting (or an old one that made me think of something interesting).  But none of those things have yet inspired me to write something interesting about them.

What keeps sticking in my head, however, is this idea that we live in a manufactured culture--one that spends millions (and likely billions) of dollars every year telling us that we need to buy something in order to be happy.  To fit in, we need to wear the latest styles.  To be considered wealthy, we need to have the latest gadgets.  To be fulfilled, we need to have these things in our homes.  And to be all that we can be, we need to buy organic, or take these drugs, or use these beauty products.

And I'd say I'm frustrated with it, but even I want to look pretty.  I want to be thin and healthy.  I want to live the way rich people do, and have investing problems like they do.  I want to have a personal lawyer who helps me with my taxes.  Hell, I even want a new TV, though I'm pretty sure the one we have is still good.

So I'm trapped--living in this ideal that someone else has created for me because they want me to live like this.  I'm a sheep being herded to the next big thing by the corporate shepherds and their political sheep dogs.

And maybe I don't want to be a sheep any more.

So here's this moment--this moment between deciding that something should be changed and coming up with a plan of action.  And suppose I made up that plan of action; there'd be another moment just like this one where I'd have to stop going over my plan and decide to actually follow through with it.

And I imagine a lot of us get caught up in those "in between" moments.  We doubt ourselves.  We're afraid of change.  And we're afraid of being wrong.

And I imagine most of us fall back into old habits.  We eat that extra cookie, or buy that thing we don't really need, sending ourselves further into debt.  We fall into the trap that tells us we aren't happy because we're not like all those people we admire and want to be.

And we decide that maybe it's easier being one of the sheep.

Yesterday, I read an article by @Sadhguru that talked about managerial skills and the hallmarks of good leaders.  I expect it was intended for business leaders and the like, but I decided to read it anyway.  And I want to share with you something that he said:

Desires drive people: desire to possess, desire to achieve, desire to be recognised. If today you desire a new smartphone, tomorrow you’ll want something else. If I give you the whole planet and make you the queen, will you be fulfilled? No, you’ll want the moon and the stars. That is why turning inwards is very important. You’ll do things more consciously. Right now the world is functioning compulsively and that’s our problem.

So that started me thinking about the way we do things in the world: the way we choose to live, the way we look for answers, the way in which, in short, we do everything.  Do I do something to fulfill a desire, or do I do something that is fulfilling?  Do I stay a sheep and believe that what I'm being told is the truth, or do I pull the wool off of my eyes and find my own truth?

I'll leave you with one last article by @JohnCheese of Cracked.com.  He talks about what it takes to really make a change in your life--the things that need to happen to make it happen.


It only takes one little step--one moment that goes from thought to action--to leave behind the person we are, and to become the person we want to be.  So please, don't get stuck in all the moments in between.