The recent tragedy in Newtown, CT, is one of unspeakable
horror. The latest in what appears to be an alarming trend of mass murders in
American communities is, in my mind, the most gruesome - due not only to the
sheer numbers of lives lost but more significantly because of the tender ages
of the smallest victims.
Since the Columbine massacre in April of 1999 when Eric
Harris and Dylan Kliebold stormed their high school and murdered fifteen
students and teachers and wounded twenty-four more, little has been done to secure the safety of our children. Metal detectors,
security cameras, SRO's in the hallways of our schools offer little protection
against one determined to commit a heinous act. Neither will gun control,
tougher sentencing of the accused or even capital punishment serve as a
deterrent to those filled with evil intent. We have put a bandaid on the problem
rather than treating the underlying
illness behind the carnage of our people.
I was blessed to grow up in the 50's and 60's - a time when
a parent's most urgent concern for their children was "Look both ways
before crossing the street." Acts of violence in rural America were a
rarity, not a common occurrence. But violence is only a symptom of a much
deeper rooted problem: for decades our country has been in a state of extreme
moral decay.
We have become a nation of self-centered, ego-driven, rude, arrogant,
self-righteous people who have lost all regard for our fellow Americans. We
care more about getting what we want even at the expense of others. We are a
nation where power, greed, and ego take precedent over decency, compassion, and
kindness. We have turned away from our religious and spiritual roots and chosen
to live life on our own terms. God has become offensive to some and His Commandments obsolete and irrelevant in a
modern-day world."Love your God; love your neighbor as yourself; do not
kill." Totally archaic.
We have turned our backs on God and continually violate His
Laws. And then we're shocked when horrific events occur. That's akin to exceeding the speed limit and
then being surprised when a police officer issues you a citation. Laws are
created for a reason and God's Laws are absolute.
We have filled our hearts with hate. We glorify anger and
violence, rudeness, and the infliction of pain on others as forms of
entertainment then smugly proclaim satisfaction when someone gets what they deserve. We judge and label those who are different, those who are
struggling with personal demons, those who do not live up to our personal
standard of excellence. We feel justified in seeking revenge on anyone who has offended
us and have become oblivious to (and even more shocking) indifferent to the
suffering we cause others.
In our arrogance we have sanctimoniously appointed ourselves
qualified to assign importance to those we deem worthy and devalue those who do
not meet our criteria. A loyal friend is held in higher esteem than one who
refuses to repay a loan made to them in good faith. A father who works hard to
provide for his family then succumbs to alcohol to cope with stress is lowered
on the scale of humanity. An unborn child, unable to sustain themselves
independently as of yet, is less significant than the mother carrying her.
Our ego has deceived us into believing that we have a right
to live life in whatever manner serves us best. We can do what we want, when we want, however
we want. If others don't like it oh well, too bad. That's not our problem. Our
rights, feelings, and needs override that of our brothers and sisters. We have
a right to be cruel, mean or hateful to those who offend us. People must earn
our respect and even then, we choose who we bestow this honor upon. Respect
("to value") is doled out according to our personal evaluation of
each individual's merit: some have greater value, some - none at all.
We have devalued human life and therein lies the root of
evil in this world. We are all God's sacred children, scarred and struggling,
but no less precious in His eyes. Who among us was given authority to redefine
another's worth?
The massacre in Columbine, the slaughter of thirty-two at
Virginia Tech, the recent mass murders in a movie theater in Aurora and a mall
in Oregon haven't been enough to wake this country up. Will the bloodied bodies
of twenty precious babies and the heroes who gave their lives to protect them
be the pivotal moment that reminds us of the reverence for all human life?
We don't need to fear the end of the world or the so-called
"fiscal cliff". We plunged off the "spiritual cliff"
decades ago and now must climb back up. It is not our government's
responsibility to fix this problem. They are powerless to repair what is broken
within each of us. We, as individuals, must make a commitment to return to a
life of high moral integrity.
The keys to preventing more bloodshed in this country are a
return to the moral and spiritual dictates of God, to live lives filled with
compassion, kindness, acceptance, inclusion, generosity, forgiveness, and love;
to be a reflection of God's presence in this world and to treat all of His
children with the same dignity and tender care that He does. Only when love for
all becomes the standard measure of a life well lived will we defeat hatred,
destruction, and evil.
We are here to be healers to one another. With the grace and
guidance of God, we can achieve this goal. Let THIS be the new American dream.
Go back to your houses of worship. Read
and live the words of the Bible. Raise your children in the ways of the Lord.
Be the example of kindness and love for others to follow.
Rest assured: our precious little angels are resting safely
in the arms of our Heavenly Father while we are left to clean up this mess we
have made. God help us. Lord knows, we need it.
God gave His only Son so that we may have life. Let not the
loss of these babies be in vain. Let their lives inspire us to truly learn how
to love.
By Janet Pfeiffer, copyright 12-18-12, Pfeiffer Power
Seminars, LLC
Please feel free to copy this article in it's entirety and share with all you know.
Words of Wisdom:
"We cannot be a world at peace until we are first a
people of peace." - Janet Pfeiffer, The Secret Side of Anger
1 Corinthians 16:14 "Let all that you do be done in
love."
Ghandi: "I must first be the change I want to see in
the world."
Prayer of St. Francis: "Lord, make me an instrument of
your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love."
"When the power of Love becomes more important than the
love of power the world will know peace."
The comic strip character, Pogo, once said "We have met
the enemy and his is us."
Abraham Lincoln said, "The best way to defeat your
enemy is to make him your friend."
