This is a little long. I took the time to write down some thoughts on the shooting in Connecticut as well as thoughts about our society. Hopefully you can stand to read it all.
Today one of the most incredibly horrible acts a person could ever commit took place in a small town in Connecticut. To add to the pain and sorrow of the families that were involved in this tragedy, the media has turned this into a nationwide gun control debate. Unfortunately, we often look for a quick solution to a problem and very much emotion is involved in the criticism of the day’s event. I would like to bring a point to the attention of the people of this country. I would like for the people of our Nation to search their souls for the true problem we are facing
I started kindergarten 30 yrs ago; lots of things have changed between then and now. There have been a lot of good changes to our educations system, also some not so good. Good changes have been made in the spirit of a better education; the bad changes have been made in order to keep from offending someone that may not share the same mindset or beliefs. People need to search their souls and think about what has truly changed in our Country. I cannot remember ever hearing of tragedy like today’s events until the Columbine Massacre in 1999, 3 years after I graduated high school. Since that time there have been several similar acts committed in a variety of different settings. So what has really changed is it the number of gun owner to non gun owner ratio, I really doubt it. I am not interested in defending my right to or not to bear arms. I feel like the way that our nation is parenting their children has been one of the most drastic changes this country has ever seen. It is easy to look for someone else or something else to blame. In the end the only thing that can be responsible for any act good or bad is a physical being that has the capacity of conscious thought. So where does that leave responsibility, to the people that commit those acts and to those people that shaped the minds and lives of those people as they were developing. The only people that can be held accountable for the development of a child’s beliefs and values are their parents. In the end those morals and beliefs shape the decisions that those children make when they become adults. It is time for people to take responsibility and raise their children to be productive, compassionate, and most of all loving people, who have self respect and respect others. I truly belief that the biggest change this country has seen is the anti-Christian movement. People are more worried about placing blame on their neighbor, our Nation’s leaders, etc. for their situation than they are taking responsibility for their lives. We can no longer discipline our children because it is abuse. We shelter our children from reality because it isn’t fair, then they grow up and find out the hard way that life isn’t fair. We leave parenting to daycare and the school system, yet we do not give them any power to discipline or correct our children. We no longer teach respect for elders or manners in general because we do not want anyone telling us how we should live our lives or raise our children. If we have misfortune in our lives we can always find someone or something to blame instead of being accountable and looking within ourselves for the answer. We no longer stand up for what we believe in for fear of offending someone or having to answer to our justice system. We have absolutely no compassion or regard for the well being of our neighbors because we have become self consumed in our own wants and desires. The reality of it is not one of us can exist without society as a whole. It is time that we take control of our Nation, our law making bodies, our justice system and start by holding ourselves accountable then start climbing up the ladder all the way to the leaders of our nation. Our country was founded on a standard of beliefs and morals. All of which were based on a Christian platform. That platform was the same platform that families used every day to raise their children. The roots of Christianity are what have developed the United States into the great Country that it is. In my opinion if you look at history, when we started to exclude Christianity in Society our country began to have serious problems. There is no longer a strong public representation of Christianity or its beliefs and moral standards. People are no longer concerned with being accountable for their actions because they can use our justice system to protect their right to do whatever they want with blatant disregard for how it affects someone else. Ultimately, no one is any longer concerned with how their actions affect anyone else because they do not have to answer to anyone. The one thing that has changed for certain is the number of people that are truly concerned for their salvation and being held accountable for their life on their judgment day. In the end if we do not answer to a greater power and do not feel like we will one day be held accountable for our actions by our creator, it doesn’t really matter what we do.
I am praying for the victims of today’s horrible tragedy. I have also been praying and will continue to pray for the salvation of this country. It is time to take a stand and take control of our future. Hold yourselves and your neighbors accountable for their actions. Distinguish the difference between what is right and your own selfish desires. Do not become consumed with selfish desires and self pity; become consumed with the future of our Nation’s children. Make a difference, it will not always mean taking the easiest route. Stand up for what you believe in and take a long hard look at who you are and where you stand. You are the only person that has the power to change your life and its circumstances, just remember how it may affect you later. Where have we gone wrong? Today’s tragedy was not caused by owning a gun or teaching a child how to use it, but by not teaching a child responsibility, self respect, and ultimately respect for others as well as life.
I hope that people will take time to read this and reflect on their lives and who they are. Please feel free to share my comments. I feel like it is time to try to make a difference. I have 3 children, the oldest is a kindergartner. This is part of my contribution to her future.
Ryan Sexson
Nenzel, NE