In the midst of school shootings and the everyday killings that we are desensitized to, I have been giving a lot of thought to the subject of violence.  Politicians and the media are running around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for the culprit.  Mortal Kombat and Marilyn Manson are responsible for these tragedies.  Keep the guns away from kids and they won't kill.  I recently read an article that blamed these killings on non-Christians and believers in the theory of evolution.  These 2 young men killed 13 people because they believed they were just "glorified monkeys".

Well, glorified monkeys we are not.  I have never heard of any mass-murdering chimpanzees so to call us a glorified version of these creatures is at the very least insulting.....to them.  I am also pretty sure that video games and music have not murdered anyone lately.  Seems to me that everyone is looking for outside influences to blame instead of examining their own attitudes.  Although it is very tempting to look elsewhere for the root of the problems, I am afraid the answer lies much close to home.

I am not usually old-fashioned in my thinking but on this subject it is hard to avoid being so.  We have all contributed to this culture of instant gratification and lack of responsibility and discipline.  These are the days of getting in touch with your inner child and blaming bad behavior on upbringing.  When something undesirable happens to someone, they find someone to sue because their life is supposed to be perfect.  Well, I don't believe that getting in touch with our inner child means that we are supposed to behave like children.  We are each responsible for our own behavior.  If we kill or hurt others, if we screw up our own lives, it is our own fault.

I realize that personal responsibility has become nothing more than lip service in our culture.  I realize that thinking that everyone should accept the consequences of their actions without the constant whining and blaming is out-dated and unenlightened.  I also realize that if we really want to know where we are going wrong, this is probably where we need to start.

If you disagree with me, write to me with your opinion and I will post it on this page.