It’s almost like clockwork. Every week is the same–a horrible event happens somewhere in our country. A group of hungry wild-like beasts swoop in on the scene and begin reporting the events. And outrage ensues. It’s so predictable that we can even pick the subject. It’ll almost always be centered around one of two things: Guns or sex.
Have you ever stopped to consider WHY these issues, particularly these two, tend to dominate the cultural landscape in America? (For clarity, I include the gender, abortion, and sexuality debate in the term “sex.”) Do these issues dominate our discussion and fuel our division because THESE are the issues facing our country, or is there something (or someone) fueling and highlighting them for a less-than-pure purpose?
Take gun control, for example. Why do we see people storming capitol buildings with protests, picket signs, and angry chants every time another mass shooting occurs? The “Gun Control” argument values freedom, safety, and life. They argue that people should be free to gather and live safely, free from the fear of another sadistic mass shooter. The “Gun Rights” argument values freedom, safety, and life. They argue that people should be able to gather and live safely, free from the fear of another sadistic mass shooter. Sounds the same, right? It is. The difference is the path we choose to get there. And the path we choose is littered with broken relationships, hated enemies, and a country torn in two.
The goal is the same on both sides: save lives. That’s what everyone wants, isn’t it? So why do the news stories that focus on saving lives discuss one subject, guns? Think about it for a minute. Why does the debate about guns rage while diseases related to obesity (heart disease, diabetes, and stroke) dominate the cause of death in our country? Why debate about guns when 32 people die on average every day from drunk driving? Why do we not vigorously debate suicide when nearly 48,000 people took their own life in 2021? Shouldn’t the heated debate about guns also include a heated debate about sugar, alcohol, and suicide? After all, the goal is to save lives…isn’t it?
On the other hand, According to Pew Research, death by gun is at historic highs, with 20,958 murders and 26,328 suicides in 2021 alone. 81% of all murders involved a firearm. And death by guns has increased by 23% since 2019. In 2021 we reached a RECORD HIGH for death by guns in our country, with a total of 48,830 death. Can’t we reognize that guns in the wrong hands kill innocnet people?
But wait…even these stats are misleading. in 2021 we hit RECORD levels of gun deaths. But per capita, we’re nowhere near record levels. In 1974 America saw 16.3 gun deaths for every 100,000 people. In 2021, with a RECORD HIGH number of deaths caused by guns, we are at 14.6 gun deaths for every 100,000 people, or statistically a mile away from the record high. By the way, 1974 came six years after the 1968 Gun Control Act became law. It passed the house (72% in favor, 28% opposed) with bipartisan support, passed the senate with the same bipartisan support (80% in favor, 20% opposed) and was then signed into law by LBJ, the Democrat President. Interestingly enough, a higher percentage of democrats voted “no” than republicans in both the house and senate. Weird…isn’t it? What happened to us since then? How could a topic as divisive as gun control garner overwhelming bi-partisan support for either side? And wouldn’t the 1974 stat demonstrate that Gun Control isn’t as effective as some think? None of that matters though. We all know if this vote were held today, it’d fall right down the party line.
Why is this? How did we become SO divided? My theory: Pick your side, turn on your favorite news network, and let them tell you how you should feel. And we don’t need both sides to do this. Only one. Then watch as the other side reacts. The question is why do we let them tell us what we should think? My theory: It’s much easier to be told what to think than to think for ourselves. The task of thinking about complex issues is exausting. It will wear you out! It’s easier to trust “our” news media than to reason and think for ourselves.
Last week I wrote about the Simulation Theory, which suggests we are a created simulation, similar to Wreck it Ralph and The Matrix. While I certainly do not hold to or believe that we are in a “simulation,” I do see that we are in a type of a “simulation experience” in our own country. We fight over what somebody else tells us to fight over. We debate over what someone else thinks is debate-worthy and we ignore the things “they” keep from us. Somebody else is calling the shots…and we let them. Those who call the shots are interested in one thing: power, What’s the best way to gain power? Nobly fighting against the enemy (the other half of the country) whom “they” define. And how do “they” persuade us to fight their battle? Here’s the pattern:
- Find an emotionally charged subject that is both personal and persuasive. (Example: Guns)
- Create a reason to divide over the subject. (Example: Guns kill people! vs. People kill people)
- Find a story that deals with the subject. (Example: Mass Shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville)
- Arrange the facts of the story to fit a specific narrative (Pick your side, find your story.)
- Make the story as inflammatory as possible and only share the part that fits your teams narrative.
- Debate about the emotionally charged subject to the point of divisiveness, hatred and more death.
- Repeat.
Those who desire power in our country (Politicians) take care of steps 1,2, and 3.
Those who desire to have the power of those who have power in our country (Media) take care of steps 4 and 5.
And we (the American People) take care of step 6.
And just like clockwork, step 7 happens every week. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Consider these two articles, shared about the recent shootings. Notice what is present and what is missing. And consider the focus and feeling the author intends you to have. The first article concerns the recent shooting in Nashville, where 6 of our Christian Brothers and Sisters, including young children died at Covenant School. In this article, shared by NBC News, the subtitle is: A 28-year-old shooter, with two semiautomatic weapons and a handgun, opened fire inside The Covenant School, police said. The school serves preschool to sixth grade. How do you feel when you read that? The focus is on the gun and not the shooter. Why is this? Search for the word “transgender” in the article, and you won’t find it. In fact, you will only find one mention of her gender, which is a quote from a police spokesman stating that the police officers “saw a shooter, a female” and “she was fatally shot.” All other references to the shooter are defined as “the shooter” and “a heavily armed former student.” The goal of the article: focus on the guns
Now consider this article, also shared by NBC News, about the recent mass shooting in Allen Texas. Notice the difference in the language used. The shooter is identified by his name, gender, age and…” Neo-Nazi Sympathizer.” They even reported on his social media content, stating “A preliminary review of what is believed to be the shooter’s social media accounts reveal hundreds of posts that include racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi material and material espousing white supremacy, two senior law enforcement officials said.” They didn’t bother to link to his social media but made sure to include that he wore a patch “RWDS” which, as they state, is an acronym for “Right Wing Death Squad.” The focus here is on the shooter. Motive enters the equation in this article but is strangely missing in the Nashville article. Why is this?
Both actions were despicable. Both were sinful. Both should be called out for what they were: Hate crimes. And we should work tirelessly to prevent these things from happening again. But only one article would lead you to believe it was a hate crime. The other leads you to focus on Gun Control. One makes us rage against the “neo-Nazi, white supremacist, right winger” while the other makes us rage against “two semiautomatic weapons and a handgun.” They are written to make you feel a certain way. Why?
Because somebody wants you to feel a certain way about a particular thing. And they told you the story to make you feel it. This has to end! But how can it possibly end? It can only end when WE THE PEOPLE control the narrative. And, how can we control the narrative and avoid falling for the same media and political tricks? We learn how to REASON. By REASON, I mean both the noun and the verb.
As a noun, we need to learn how to think anew. The media tells us WHAT to think. Instead, we should learn HOW to think by using a process of interpreting information (FACTS) through logic in order to arrive at a decision. We examine the information that we recieve and thnk deeply about motive. What informaiton do they include and what is missing? Why is some information included and why is the other missing? We REASON first and experience emotions second. This process is antithetical to our current social norm of interpreting information FIRST through emotions. Of course, we cannot deny our emotions, nor should we. But we all know that emotional decisions are RARELY, if EVER, helpful. So, we must force ourselves to slow down when interpreting information. Let the emotion subside, then analyze the facts logically to arrive at a decision oozing with reason.
As a verb, I mean we need to REASON with each other in helpful, constructive, and mature ways.
I operate foundationally as a man of faith. I believe the Lord has created us in His image, as the Bible describes. To be created in His image means to be created like Him but not as Him. There is a famous saying in our church, “There is a God, and you’re not Him (and neither am I).” But we are made like Him. Because God has emotions, we have emotions. We shouldn’t deny these emotions, but we should make sure they are in their proper place. Emotions should come from deeply held beliefs, not be the foundation of a deeply held belief.
Because we have been made in God’s image, it’s also crucial to recognize that God is reasonable. He says in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (ESV). I love how another translation states, “Come, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool” (CSB).
Come on, let’s reason together.
Come on, let’s settle this.
Don’t you love that? We will NEVER settle anything in our country if we let politicians with impure motives tell us what we should think and how we should feel. The only way to settle this is to use reason. We learn HOW to think and then interpret facts through logic to make educated decisions. And from that decision, we allow our emotions to enter the equation. They (our emotions) come FROM a reasoned decision. If our emotions continue to drive our decisions, our politicians and media hounds will continue telling us what to think and how to feel, just like clockwork.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust politicians and media enough to tell me what I should think and how I should feel. I want to come to that decision all on my own. Seems pretty reasonable to me…
What say you?
SPEAKING OF THINKING FOR OURSELVES…
How AI translated and summarized my blog post
AI will be a large part of our future. Our media will be replaced by AI, which will also seek to guide our emotions. I used AI to summarize my blog. I actually think it did a decent job! What do you think?
Here’s the translation:
But what is reasoning and why is it so important? Reasoning is the process by which we use critical thinking to come to a conclusion or decision. It’s the ability to separate facts from opinions and use logic to make informed choices. With reasoning, we can weigh the pros and cons, compare different options, and ultimately come to a decision based on sound judgment.
In a world where we’re bombarded with conflicting ideas and opinions, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and confused. We need to learn how to sift through the noise and make sense of what we hear. By using our reasoning skills, we can separate fact from fiction, and make informed decisions based on evidence and logic.
So, let’s take a step back and think for ourselves. Let’s use our reasoning skills to make sense of the world around us and come to our own conclusions. By doing so, we can avoid falling prey to the agendas of politicians and media personalities who are only interested in furthering their own interests.
In conclusion, the reason for reasoning is simple – it’s essential for making informed decisions and avoiding being led astray by those with ulterior motives. By developing our reasoning skills, we can discover the truth for ourselves and make the world a better place. So, the next time you’re presented with a new idea or opinion, take a moment to reason it out and see where it leads you.
Not bad, AI….but I prefer to speak (and think) for myself. 😉
Good article, Brian. Curious how you used AI? PS – Patrick and I are so proud of you ❤️
Hi Joyce! Thank you so much! We miss you both more than we can say!
For this article, the blog site had an AI tool that generated the summary. AI is interesting, and I think can be a helpful tool. But like any other tool, it will be used to harm and not help by some.