What does this say about us?

I was reading the news the other day and read a piece about the NYC bombing attempt. First off, I have to say violence is -never- the answer. As Crass said, “And you’ll never change the system by bombing number ten/Systems just aren’t made of bricks they’re mostly made of people/You may send them into hiding, but they’ll be back again.” I fully believe that’s true. You can’t change the people or the system with violence. Only by peaceful means with education can people and the system be changed. With that said, I find it sad people feel the need to resort to violence. I also find it disturbing that when people resort to violence to be heard – they are never listened to. Our society is so callous that not even violence gets our attention. What does it say about us?

There must be something -wrong- with society that makes people act out violently. I think about what Marilyn Manson said about the Columbine shooting that he would have listened to what they had to say. That no one is doing that. What is getting people so upset that they want to hurt, even murderer others? Sometimes it’s a cause of mental illness but some of the time there’s nothing psychology wrong. No one is asking why and what can we do to change to prevent this from happening again. Why are people being pushed to the edge. What have we done as a society to provoke such violence. Our response is going in with guns and destroying all opposition. But, we never reflect on ourselves. The truth is our society is based on violence, not peace.

With violent movies, violent video games, the eating of murdered flesh, and teaching our young to play with guns – is it a wonder we’re turning out this way? We are taught to hate – not love. Even religion teaches and is based on hate. Once you need to classify some people as “saints” and others as “sinners” – you are pointing the finger at the other and aren’t trying to understand why. The truth, the reality of the situation, to quote Rudimentary Peni, “There is no right or wrong.” It is all a matter of perception. And the reality we are teaching people is to be divided, callous, not feeling, static, and numb. People in our society don’t feel and for the most part are already dead inside. That’s really sad.

I was thinking about AFI lyrics yesterday, “We can’t even remember the seasons…We can’t even recall the feelings we can not show.” What does this all say about us? Our society is built on the exploitation of third world countries. Our global wealth creates global poverty. There is only world hunger because that’s the way people -want- the world to be. We are taught not to care. Not to care about our fellow man or even value life. Is it really a surprise then, being taught not to value what is most precious that those who most distorted by society act out in the only means they find necessary? Aren’t we to blame too? What can we do to change to stop creating a violent world? The media will never talk about that. It’s easier to point fingers than self reflect.

I used to live about 20 blocks away from Time Square. I was blocks away from the bombing on 7/7/2005 in London. I heard the bomb go off from my hotel room that blew up the bus in Russel Square. I’ve been assaulted for being a homosexual at a punk show that was against homophobia. There are just some sick people out there but why are we producing sick people? What has their life showed them that violence is all they know? When I was hit, my thoughts weren’t on my own safety, my heart was bleeding for my attacker. I wanted to help him and show him that violence and hate isn’t the path to take. That it’s okay to feel pain, to feel anything, but it’s not okay to take your rage out on others. That violence doesn’t solve anything but makes problems worse. That it’s okay to be different. That there’s nothing wrong with being yourself as long as you aren’t hurting yourself or others. I wanted to know why – not point fingers, not get revenge, I wanted to see what he saw and see how to not let it happen again.

So, what does this all say about us?

‘Individualism’ is the mentality that you don’t owe anyone anything. / “Don’t tell me how to live my life and i won’t tell you how to live yours” – Fuck that / Manifestation of living in a capitalist system / Everyone is just looking our for themselves / We shun and ignore the one that need our help / But our action affect everyone around us / And the choices we make have very real consequences / And the thing you demand and the things you take for granted… / Convenience for you could be the result of another’s life / Step out of you little world… And open your eyes and your hearts! / A luxury for you could be the result of another’s suffering / Can you trace the origins of what you consume back to torture and abuse?/ Never stop questioning / The unexamined life is not worth living / This is not PC chit chat / This is what it is to be a human being / Taking shortcuts to happiness / will not bring you a lifetime of fulfillment

— Gather