How to Prevent US Shootings
The United States has just suffered two mass shootings in the past 24 hours, one in Texas by a 21 year old, and another in Ohio by a 24 year old.
The Texas massacre in Walmart took place at a sensitive time of year when parents are shopping for back to school materials with their little ones.
As usual, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was immediately on location with authorities, talking about the importance of uniting to support the families.
Governor Abbott is a special governor and that is why I will direct this message to Texas.
It is not enough to talk about unity after the fact, we have to actively work on cultivating unity and good human connections on a daily basis. There are many people who are receiving state benefits who could begin this process immediately.
Imagine a scenario where instead of 3000 people wandering around Walmart thinking how to fill their egoistic needs (which is exactly what I do when I go into a mall), a special section would be created in each store, where we are encouraged to work on our connection. People would be given incentives to take part in these special activities for strengthening our human connection.
If corporate executives at Walmart understood the importance of promoting new values, they would not put out Back to School commercials that provide no genuine value, except to further serve our inflated egos.
Clearly if we continue along this path of allowing the growing human ego free reign, we can continue to expect more tragedies of this nature.
What is the root cause of the shootings?
“If we want to treat the violent tendencies in America from their root, we have to deal with the culture that breeds them. We have to consistently work on our unity so that it is more powerful than our evil, which is the potential eruption of the human ego. Only if we regularly strengthen our bonds and our common humanity, then violence between us will rarely happen.” Michael Laitman
What keeps fueling America’s extremely high rates of violence? Television programs display 812 violent acts per hour so the typical American will watch 200,000 acts of violence, including 16,000 murders, before they turn 18. This does not include the escalating violence in video games, movies and social media.
We are trapped in a vicious cycle that makes it easy to overlook its psychological consequences: Content producers are taking their violent scenes to greater extremes, giving audiences a bigger fix to keep them watching and engaging.
The result is a society (especially our youth) whose attitudes and norms concerning violence are reaching a new low each time. Gradually, we are getting used to the ongoing appearance of extremely violent acts and they become a “normal” part of everyday life.
Recommendations to Prevent Further Disasters
The most basic values have eroded in today’s world. People need to be reminded what is truly important throughout their daily life — to be good to one another, since we are all in this together.
The following are some simple steps we can take to begin generating positive energy and provide the younger generation with good examples:
#1
The best way to “confront evil” is to release biblically inspired content promoting universal values of mutual care, through standard channels of communication: billboards, television, radio, and social media. The new content would be featured in all public areas, in waiting rooms, in print and online ads, etc. Businesses such as restaurants and coffee shops would receive incentives to feature the new content. Public discourse about this content would be highly encouraged.
#2
Launch a widespread Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself campaign/competition.
#3
Leaders must talk about and provide examples of unity and solidarity all the time — not only following a major tragedy such as a mass shooting or natural disaster.
#4
Require anyone on state benefits to participate in a new mandatory program for strengthening the community bonds (online and in community centers).
#5
Systematically nurture our common humanity through special workshops and purposeful pro-social gatherings. Organizations such as the military and law enforcement authorities would receive incentives to participate.
#6
Educational systems and teachers would receive suitable material for teaching children about the benefits of human connection. Encourage children to have a purpose from a young age and the means to pursue it.
#7
The media and publishers would receive incentives to feature this new uplifting content.
#8
Honor the people doing good on a daily basis, not only when tragedy strikes.
#9
All this would be a fully transparent state-wide initiative with leaders constantly speaking about the importance of these programs.
#10
United States citizens would understand that this initiative is above all politics and that their active participation would ensure their long-term safety, prosperity and well-being.
Anticipated Change
Texans would undergo a process where they realize that the current state of affairs, with their egos running rampant, is no longer sustainable. They would receive tools to rise slightly above the ego and form superior human connections at all levels. Texas would become an example of harmony for the rest of the United States, and the world to follow. This would significantly impact all economic, social, health and educational systems, which would be positively impacted by the enhanced atmosphere.
All this is within our grasp and wouldn’t require any special effort of massive budget. It simply requires shifting our mind to what’s really important — the well-being of the next generation.
What we put into our kids today, is what we will have 10–20 years down the road. This is not rocket science.
There is nothing wrong with encouraging children to excel in STEM subjects, but they need to be balanced with subjects that teach them to be good humans and nurture healthy human connections with the people around them.
We need to create environments for young people to thrive in where everyone is focused on helping lift others. Then we will see how beautiful life can be for all of us.
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