Human Nature

So, believe it or not I try very hard not to make this blog a self-important, pretentious, preachy rant about my beliefs and politics. I really do try. The truth of the matter is, I am a self-important, pretentious, preachy kind of person. I have strong opinions and a big mouth.  Some days, like today, I really feel the need to share my opinions.

Yesterday two news items really caught my attention and got me thinking and feeling. The attacks in Norway and the debt ceiling crisis.

What happened yesterday is a major tragedy. The death toll is now 91 and it is a distinct possibility that it will rise. The bombing is shocking enough, but it is almost unthinkable to me that someone would open fire on a camp full of children. The media is telling us all about the perpetrator’s ideological leanings. Apparently, he was a fundamentalist Christian who also belong to groups that were upset about immigration. In my opinion, the man was probably very mentally ill and his ideology had very little to do with his actions.  Extremism attracts certain personality types that are more likely to behave in a manner we consider unthinkable. It is a universal thing. Every major religion has them as does every political movement.  It is a part of human nature. We can’t get rid of religion or political movements, so the only thing we can do is try to react to the effects of extremism as best we can.

Instead of getting pissed at screaming at each other and feed the fire, maybe we should calm the hell down and talk about things. What happened exactly? How can we help? What can this attack tell us about our current political climate? What can we do as a group to try and work though our problems?

The U.S should have gotten this message after the shooting of Rep. Giffords but we didn’t. It is sneaking up on a major election and propaganda and political rancor are tools politicians use to get us to vote.   Politicians are business men. They realize that doing the right thing isn’t the best way to keep their jobs. We still live in a political climate of spreading dissension and hate is more effective for keeping their jobs than doing their jobs in the best way possible.

Why work to make the country better and uphold our constitution when calling “the other guy” names and demonizing one group or another accomplishes the ultimate goal of keeping your job better?

Case in point, the debt ceiling debate. If they do not come to an agreement, our national government basically shuts down. As far as I can tell, there are two things that are keeping the agreement stalemated. The Republicans want deep cuts in social programs and the Democrats want wealthy people and corporations to pay the same taxes as the rest of us. As far as I can tell, the Democrats are willing to compromise on the cuts on the social programs but the Republicans are refusing to tax their honey pot contributors. It seems like they would rather cause thousands of people to lose jobs and throw this country further into financial crisis and call it “fiscal responsibility” (I would buy the social program cuts as fiscal responsibility, if I didn’t see the hypocrisy of refusing to tax the rich folks who have bought them) than to give a bit.  It makes me want to go up to the capitol and shake every single politician.

I am far from impartial on the matter. I understand the strong rancor people feel when they talk about their beliefs. Sometimes I want to call people morons and tell them to use their brains. I do my best not to for one simple fact: I believe that rarely is an ideal more important than human lives.

History has times that show us that ideals are more important than the humans they effect. I promise you that the bullshit in politics currently is not more important than trying to shut up and be nice. I promise you immigration is not worth being nasty to another human being over, much less killing someone. I promise you that Jesus did not want you to use him as an excuse to bully, hate, name call, kill, or harm another human being. He did not say “Love thy neighbor, but only if he believes and behaves exactly as you do.”

I guess it boils down to my three life philosophies:

Shut up and be nice. ~ Ani Difranco

Be most excellent to one another. ~George Carlin in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”

Leave a place better than you found it.  ~ Girl Scouts of America

Having beliefs is great. Expressing your beliefs is fine. Hating someone else because they are different than you is not okay.

My heart breaks for the people of Norway today. Americans know the shock and pain they are feeling. We have been attacked from both the outside and from within and know the feelings of betrayal from both. Keep them in your thoughts.