S-P and J

By: F. John Surells

Whenever I’ve sought conclusions, I’ve found that by immersing myself amidst all that’s already occurred, I’ve been able to deduce what still should happen. And I’ve learned that self-pity and jealousy are the two greatest sins, and not because of any immediate effects they may cause, after all they’re “inactive” transgressions, but rather because of the often tragic, and sometimes fatal activities they may eventually engender.

And I’ve come to understand that all mortals must take responsibility for their own lives, which of course infers they must righteously regulate all their actions and non-actions. But every time I’ve experienced thoughts which concerned society’s current problem of violence, a voice has always told me, “Take the easy way out on this one. This time cling to irresponsibility, and imagine you’re only living in a dream, or within an author’s fictional story. Then you won’t have to offer your answers as to what may have triggered various school and workplace massacres.”

But I don’t want to say whether or not I’m really real. Yet, we know that both “gun control” and “sportsman’s, or hunter’s rights” are worthy of discussion and preservation. Still, when society provides and champions stark violence and murder as its main forms of entertainment, what does it expect to have returned to it in real occurrences, when those who enjoyed such overly vehement activities as leisurely non- reality must then face real problems in times of seriousness.

And, of course most people don’t have any substantive answers for any societal problems – and they especially don’t wish to address that relatively tragic new one which now threatens the innocence of life in all facets of modern existence. No, they, like you and me, don’t know whether or not the man or woman walking by them might be armed and capable of mass murder. Yet, they’re quite sure that simply banning some or all firearms won’t stop their proliferation and use. And they’ve looked back to the days of Prohibition, and learned how devastatingly laws meant to stop the consumption of alcoholic beverages failed. And all around them today they notice the intake of banned substances and the commission of crimes related thereto, although such use and activities are, of course, unlawful.

So, today, much of humanity is at a loss to find an answer or answers to rampant violence. But if mankind is honest in its deductions, it should be able to discern that at this time violence is being promoted as meaningful, comforting, and constructive. And, of course societally destructive activity is almost always rooted, as noted earlier, within the emotions of self-pity and/or jealousy.

But there’s a dangerous corollary at work here also. Today, apparently to further their own political agendas, numerous people of power have found they can appeal to a broad base of citizenry by simply blaming the rich and/or successful members of any society, for all that’s wrong within that society. And, of course no individual or group has the right to make other individuals or groups suffer because of his, her, or their refusal to shoulder full responsibility in such matters as tax payments and general aid of the downtrodden. But self- pity and jealousy must not be allowed to gain persuasiveness in society. And mankind’s heroes should never be those who wish to live off the fruits of the labors of others; and humankind’s demons should never be those who’ve worked hard all their lives to accomplish all they’ve accomplished, and have thereby helped to better all of life, for all classes of all societies.

But who can deny that today’s role models aren’t over-achievers or even producers, but rather those who either necessarily or purposely find themselves in economic peril, and , what’s worse, often develop impulses which when acted upon have drastic effects throughout all social classes. And the young then of all such classes grow to adulthood in not only the fear of possible random violence, but also in the belief that it’s not “cool” to be a productive, or at least “optimally achieving” member of society. But yet, what’s no doubt a greater misfortune, is that some of the just referenced mortals will eventually harbor ill-will or downright hatred toward those who are successful, and, will sometimes act
irresponsibly and murderously toward them as a result of that ill-will or hatred, rooted initially, of course, in self-pity and jealousy.