Howdy! It's been awhile since I wrote anything. I've had so many things running through my head lately, topics too big to even think about writing out. But I have to start somewhere. So here goes...
I am a delivery driver, so I have a lot of time to do some deep thinking. I like to think about current topics that are causing difficulty in our world. I like to explore the "what if" questions. I like to think about the suggested fixes that are thrown around and follow rabbit trails. I like to question the narrative. I don't want to just blindly accept what I'm being told. I like to think I have an open mind and am willing to at least consider other possible information. I am aware that I cannot possibly know for sure about much of anything. I'm not on the front lines, I'm not in the hospitals, I'm not in the President's private meetings... I'm just looking at the information those in charge are giving us, and I'm applying my own personal knowledge and experience. That's really all any of us can do.
So with that said, the point of my blog is to share my own thoughts on any given topic. Public discourse these days is so volatile and pointless most of the time. We can't get across all pertinent information in a meme or a Tweet. The problem with actual discussion is that we often start in different places. Successful debate requires some common ground, and when people start with wrong assumptions about the other person, or a completely different set of "facts," that common ground is difficult to find. We've developed a system where the different sides have believed lies about the motives and beliefs of the other. That doesn't allow for good healthy productive discussion.
I am going to try to sit down and write out my thoughts on a topic and hopefully others will read it and have a civil response to it. It's difficult to explore every corner of a topic, so I would ask that no one extrapolate on what I've said to determine what I think on something I didn't mention. If I didn't cover something, just ask me. I also acknowledge that I don't know everything. I can't. I am working with limited knowledge, and I'm open to new knowledge that may alter my views. If I don't know something, I can't include it in my thoughts.
To start, I want to talk about our assumptions. When looking at a problem, I think we all want to start by finding the ideal result. Usually the two sides agree on the problem, but they don't always agree on the solution, so wild accusations start flying and nothing gets done. So I want to look at the process on a topic. I'm just focusing on the thoughts, not the actual issue. This is just an example. Not all aspects are covered here.
Ex: Evil people are going into schools and shooting kids. We don't want this to happen.
Now as we begin to try to solve this problem, I think we need to move from the ideal to the reality. One solution that has been implemented is putting up "Gun Free Zone" signs. OK, so let's talk about the assumption behind this solution. All people are good and law abiding, so everyone will obey this sign. Um... Obviously that is not true. Another solution some are suggesting is ban all guns. This solution assumes that all people are bad and can't therefore be trusted with guns. Again, the millions of legal gun owners who don't shoot people prove this assumption false as well. It also assumes that criminals will turn in their guns.
So where does that leave us? What is the truth about people? Some personal beliefs come into play here. I believe we all have a sin nature, so at base level we are selfish, but I also believe that we are capable of overcoming that selfishness to varying degrees. We can make choices to put others first. We can sacrifice ourselves for another This is the good in human nature. The ability to overcome our worst qualities. So I then believe that most people are mostly good. I think the majority of the people I've met have good intentions and don't want to go around hurting others. But there are a few that are allowing their evil side to rule, and those people are the reason we have these discussions.
A "Gun Free Zone" sign will work for good law-abiding people. Background checks will work for people who haven't previously committed a crime. But somehow, felons are still able to get a gun, even just one day out of prison. Not legally of course, and that is the point. You can make all the laws in the world to stop law-abiding people, but by definition, criminals break laws. After every shooting, the details emerge showing how many laws were broken, not even counting the murder laws. Criminals break laws.
In seeking a solution, we must consider that there are many good people, and also a few bad ones. We can ask people not to bring guns to school, but at the same time we have to be realistic and consider the possibility of encountering a bad person. We have to have solutions in place for the low percentage "what if?" We can't assume that all people are good, as well as also not assuming all people are bad. We also can't assume a person is 100% good or bad either. It just doesn't work that way.
Another angle to consider during the problem solving session is the "why?" This one is much more difficult to deal with. The shootings are a symptom. The actual problem is deep and I don't think the secular world is capable of addressing it. This part of the solution is on the church. Psychiatrists and all those kinds of people can probably do some good, but ultimately, the issue is sin in the heart of man. Government isn't going to do anything about that, so they just have to stick to the other parts of the problem.
I'm going to stop there because my purpose in this post is not to discuss the issue, but the thought process behind the solving of the issue. I like to push people to think about how they think. Ask the questions, find the motives and assumptions and apply them to the problem-solving. We must be realistic as we search for ways to fix what is wrong in our world.
Please let me know if you liked what I've written here. Share your own thoughts. Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I'll be putting out more elaborate posts soon about the actual issues I'm thinking through. 😎
