I do not often feel the need to expend much energy discussing or writing about politics because I've always felt that I could clearly see it all for the tattered illusion that it is, but every once in awhile I have encounters in my life that compel me to speak my mind on this subject. They are not popular ideas by any means, but to me, I think that's the point. Anyhow, here it is:
On the subject of creating more laws in our country, even regarding gun control, which I understand sounds like a good thing on the surface, I tend to feel that "the powers that be" in our country already have far too much power over our lives as it is and have really already told us too much of what we can and can not do with those lives. Do we really need more laws? I for one strongly feel that when it comes to making new laws, regardless of the subject matter and how much we might think each new law might further "protect" the people in the future, we should first consider just how much we have already allowed our lives to be thoroughly suppressed and regulated by the entire body of laws that we already have. The laws that we tell ourselves are all completely appropriate and even necessary to help keep the peace in our country, but that, at least as far as I can see, really only serve to further suppress and regulate our personal freedom.
In Washington state, marijuana was finally legalized and we told ourselves that we were finally given that freedom to smoke. That we had finally earned that right somehow. The simple truth is though that no one can give you your freedom regarding anything. In reality, everyone is born free to do as they wish, but those who make the laws are so afraid of that fact that they simply can not allow it to be, hence the need for control. It would seem though that we as individuals tend to gladly hand over that control. Perhaps this is because that way of life is all that we've ever known or maybe we have just grown to like the idea that our government might protect us somehow and keep us safe. With every new law applied to our person though, the reality may be that we are, in a way, all potentially somewhat less safe because we are all potentially somewhat less free.
This may be why we're brought up to think of our government as a trusted family member or a benevolent father figure and why we're taught to refer to it as "Uncle Sam" or, to the powerful men who started this country, as our "forefathers". They want you to trust in the "wisdom" of their actions without question and allow yourself to be controlled, as they attempt to lay down the law, like a good father would. I think this control runs far deeper than anyone generally realizes though too, if you think about how our society also teaches us to ridicule and chastise all those who oppose it. We learn to label those individuals with terms like "ignorant" or "conspiracy theorist" or even "un-American", but in reality we have, in a sense, been mindwashed in this way for obedience and made to not question authority and, of this, I think we're not even really aware.
As for guns, they are only a problem because we don't properly care for and educate our people. We work hard to take care of the rich in our society and so yes it's the people who abuse guns in a sort of subconscious, psychological, backlash, but more laws are not the answer. It's less laws and bringing the people out of poverty and desolation that's the answer. Then, people would have no reason to lash out at society and use guns to take from others because they would already have what they need. In fact, if there had ever been a society or culture in the history of the world that properly took care of it's citizens, then I'm pretty sure that guns wouldn't even have been invented in the first place. It's society that's sick, in my opinion. Not the people who commit the crimes. They're just byproducts of a society that simply doesn't care enough for it's own. There would be no reason for crime if we all had more and there would be no reason for laws if there was no crime. Laws are made out of fear of what people might be or do and though they're supposed to be "by the people, for the people", it all just seems a little more like "by the people, who want to control the people".
In short, I think we need to fix the lives of our people, not the laws. We need to start working together to make this life better for everyone, rather than subscribing to society's model of looking out for one's own. I think that pretty much all of us have been asleep within ourselves for too long regarding these things, so perhaps it's time that we began to engage ourselves in that revolutionary process of waking up.
