Who’s To Blame?!

I’ve had it! I mean enough is enough already. I can’t turn on the television without seeing another image of death and devastation on the screen. This week has been a tough one. It started with the news of two local police officers responding to a 9-1-1 call only to be met with gun fire that eventually claimed their lives. Then news of an officer in Chicago losing his life in an act of violence. And now the shooting in a school in Florida. When’s it going to stop? And who’s to blame?

It’s a natural tendency in our culture to want to find the path of least resistance and let the blame start to flow. In an officer involved shooting we want to blame the neighborhood. Some will try to make it a race related matter while others a police matter. Then in the school shooting it’s generally the gun that is to blame. All you have to do is turn on a television or read through social media and you’ll quickly find the type of firearm the distraught young man used in the shooting. Then read a couple more sentences and a bold cry for stricter gun control.

First of all, I’m a tad biased. I am an advocate of being able to carry a firearm. I don’t really see an issue with it. I’m also an advocate of making sure guns don’t make it into the wrong hands. But the question is how do you make that happen. We want to blame the government for not taking a harsher stance on gun control, but will that really make a difference? I mean there are pretty harsh laws against drug use and abuse and people still find a way to do it. There are laws against theft and abuse, yet people still do those as well. In schools it’s unacceptable to cheat on a test but if we’re honest we’ll admit this happens more frequently than we’d like to admit. I mean let’s be honest if a person wants badly enough to do the wrong thing they are going to do the wrong thing!

So who’s to blame? Someone’s head has to roll for these atrocities! But who?!

That’s the million dollar question. The issue is we’re looking for a silver bullet approach to this problem (sorry for the crass pun). We’re looking for a one-size fits all approach to stopping violence. If we could have greater racial equality, then we’d have less violence. If we had stricter gun control laws, then people wouldn’t kill each other. That’s a great thought and all but it’s flawed to the core. If we took away guns, evil people would find new and more creative ways to kill people. It’s like plugging one hole in the bottom of a boat only to find a new, bigger hole form.

Perhaps instead of seeking the one to blame, we all claimed a little responsibility. What if instead of pointing fingers at people who are different, we sought ways to love them and serve them? What if instead of tightening laws we tightened our arms and loved our families a little bit more? We’re becoming a people known more by what pisses us off than what makes us passionate. We’re becoming lax about the matters that really make a difference and throwing our energy at band-aid approaches.

You want to make a difference in the violent culture in this world? Set an example. Be a father who loves and cares for his children. Be a mother who nurture and cares for her household. Be a husband who is willing to die for his family and will do anything to protect them. Be a wife who seeks to put her family first in all she does. Be a son or daughter who respects authorities and is grateful for the multitude of blessings you have. You want to make a difference? Then be the difference!

Instead of pointing fingers and assigning blame. It’s time we started going out of our way to support and encourage one another. It’s time we started serving others because it’s the right thing to do. It’s time to get our heads out of our backsides and start working together. It’s time to have real disagreements and be ok with not agreeing! It’s time to take responsibility for the part we’ve played, even if our part was doing nothing.

Who’s to blame? Honestly…ME!