Jessica Lahitou offers a few very thoughtful suggestions on how to put a stop to the incessant gun violence in America.
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We all want to stop mass shootings, and see peace reassert itself as the dominant force in America. Here are some suggestions.
- Fix the way we teach young men (and women):
In this weekend’s edition of the Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Sacks examines why the West has been so bewildered at the rise of religious extremism. Our secular superiority was supposed to spread, the clear benefits of abandoning faith for rational detachment too obvious for anyone to miss.
And yet, as Sacks points out, Western thinkers forgot that “Homo sapiens is the meaning-seeking animal. If there is one thing the great institutions of the modern world do not do, it is to provide meaning.” People need a purpose for their lives, and acknowledging this search should be a part of our school systems. We need to address what Sacks labels the “three questions that every reflective individual will ask at some time in his or her life: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live?”
We need to give young men the space and guidance to answer these questions, and recognize the value of human life. Let’s get some philosophy courses into our school curriculums.
- Get vocal when someone needs help
If you see someone who seems to be struggling, say something. Call your local hospital or church or synagogue or temple or psychiatrist. Call someone, and figure out how you can intervene and help that person.
No man is an island. Nearly 400 years after John Donne wrote those immortal words, they remain a powerful reminder of our responsibility to one another.
- Increase emphasis on community
People need people. Young men are no exception. In isolation, the worst in us can fester. We need to emphasize belonging, and make sure we don’t overlook or ignore young men.
- Change the cultural stereotypes surrounding men and violence
We have a problem with glorifying violence in this country. It’s not just the traditional culprits of movies, television, and music either. Violent video games and online games, the physical trauma in so many male-dominated sports…
Let’s start offering more examples of male strength that aren’t correlated to inflicting harm upon others. Boys and young men need real role models to aspire to, and inspire their own life choices.
Randomly shooting strangers is the antithesis of strength. Make that an indisputable fact.
- Stop giving the shooter publicity
No magazine covers, no newspaper headlines. Don’t say the name aloud. Only the victims get any attention.
- Vote to increase resources for those with mental illness
Too many of those who need help suffer without proper attention and support. How we treat those who are most in need says a lot about us as a society.
Vote for taking care of the vulnerable amongst us.
- Volunteer to mentor a young man
Are you a stable man who might have some wisdom he could pass along? Don’t keep it to yourself. Your mentorship could be a game-changer for a young man who feels lost.
- Give boys plenty of outlets
To meet people, to move, to exercise their bodies and brains, to take risks, to have friends, to laugh, to feel heard, to feel love, to run free – boys need all these things. None of them require a screen.
- Require training in order to purchase a gun
A female friend of mine recently purchased her first gun, and signed up for classes to learn how to use it. Her instructor makes sure all new owners in his class know the seriousness of gun ownership, and the weight of responsibility they are taking on.
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Hi Richard, I absolutely agree with your last point, that we should promote real heroism, as seen in the acts of the Thalys train heroes. As to the question of “who?” I would not expect a large cohort of men to necessarily know this, but one of those young men earned a spot as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. The fact that he has not been voted off several weeks in gives me great hope that many Americans share your desire to extol the courageous actions of the three Americans on that train. As far as your other… Read more »