I sat, like
many of us, this past weekend watching the horror (and I use that word
purposefully since I think the American public is becoming callous to violence)
unfold in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Eleven people lost
their lives in a sacred place of worship. Joyce Fienberg, Richard
Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal,
Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger
all lost their lives. Please read those
names again. They could be our brothers, mothers, aunts or
grandfathers.
Pittsburgh PA,
Columbia TN, Las Vegas NV, Robstown TX, Wilmington DE, Trenton NJ, Santa Fe TX,
Parkland FL, and many more. Cities with tragic mass killings. And
do not forget the daily violence that plagues many of our major metropolitan
areas (and also smaller cities). The United States is a society where an unusual number of people die
violently, at least in comparison to other rich, capitalist democracies. The
U.S. has the 31st highest rate in the world: 3.85 deaths due to gun violence
per 100,000 people in 2016. That was eight times higher than the rate in
Canada, which had .48 deaths per 100,000 people — and 27 times higher than the
one in Denmark, which had .14 deaths per 100,000 in 2016. The U.S. gun
violence death rate is also higher than nearly all countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, including many that are among the world's poorest (NPR). One more
way to consider this data: The IHME also estimates what it would expect a
country's rate of gun violence deaths to be based solely on its socioeconomic
status. By that measure, the U.S. should only be seeing .79 deaths per 100,000
people — almost five times less than its actual rate of 3.85 deaths per 100,000.
Let me take it
from statistic to reality really quick, “I will only become a statistic. I will
never be able to go to college. My dog will always wonder where I went. I will
become a hashtag. I will never be able to fight for my life again. Please don’t
let gun violence continue,” Colorado high school student Presley Leland
wrote. An analysis of school shootings in the past two decades by The Washington Post has
found that more than 214,000 students in America have been affected by gun
violence at school.
Our famed
cities of Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Baltimore and St Louis
experience hundreds of murders each year. The upward trend in the national murder
rate is attributed to sharp increases in crime in a handful of American cities.
In Chicago, for example, the murder rate nearly doubled between 2014 and 2016.
Milwaukee and Louisville, Kentucky, saw comparable spikes.
I am not pro or
anti guns, but here are some facts: American civilians own at least 265 million
firearms, which gives Americans the highest rate of per capita firearm
ownership in the world, with about one gun for every American. For a reference, Yemen comes in
a distant second, with about 55 guns for every 100 people, according to
data from the Small Arms Survey. These
surveys also show that gun ownership in America is actually highly concentrated
with only 22% to 31% of American adults
saying they personally own a gun. Just 3%
of American adults own a collective 133 million firearms – half of America’s
total gun stock. These owners have collections that range from 8 to 140 guns,
the 2015 study found. Their average collection: 17 guns each.
With
the escalation of American violence, it is easy to blame the vast availability
of guns as the culprit. We could debate forever about whether this issue
is about the guns, but that is not my point today – my point is it is about us
- the people. The answer is not about just the access to guns. In
my opinion, that is just a part. Although gun availability is undoubtedly
a major contributing factor, sadly these issues are becoming increasingly
reduced to empty, emotional rhetoric and rallying cries for our politicians on
all sides versus trying to find resolution that works for both sides. Given the
history of these issues, and particularly gun control in America, it is
unlikely they will be settled anytime soon. But
we should ask ourselves what brings people to the point where they are shooting
innocent people in schools, malls, concerts and places of worship? We are
killing children and the elderly. It is every day. Every day.
It
may make more sense to move past the polarizing issue of gun control and
instead focus our discussion on an actual solution that can work for all of us
– one that both sides of the aisle can agree upon. We need to focus on core
values of America – our parenting, education of our kids, messaging from the
media, our films & music, and leadership in our country (schools,
businesses, and politics). We can, and should, be better in these areas
(I think most would agree).
Where
is the love? I do not mean this in the literal sense, but in a figurative
sense that we, as humans, owe it to ourselves to try to fix this problem. The love starts with the home – how are
we raising our kids? Are we focused on how they treat people or what they
have? The love starts with the press – are we focused on the catchy
headline (sometimes even click bait headlines) or telling the true objective
story? The love starts with education – are we working to understand both
sides of the discussion or just who is “right”? The love starts with
leadership – are we about placing blame or fixing the issues of the people you
represent? The love starts with faith – faith in mankind, faith that
allows us to forgive, faith that guides us to the correct moral decisions.
The love starts with us – we all need to give a little more, accept a little
more, understand a little more – and speak up a little more.
Every
generation seems to write about this in their music. I do not have the
answers, and neither did Marvin or John. I will leave you with three
pretty poignant and relative song lyrics. Timeless….
From The
Black-Eyed Peas:
People killin'
people dyin', Children hurtin', I hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preachin'?, Would you turn the other cheek again?
Mama, mama, mama, tell us what the hell is goin' on, Can't we all just get along?
Father, father, father help us, Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questioning – “Where is the love?”
Can you practice what you preachin'?, Would you turn the other cheek again?
Mama, mama, mama, tell us what the hell is goin' on, Can't we all just get along?
Father, father, father help us, Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questioning – “Where is the love?”
From Marvin
Gaye:
Mother, mother,
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother, There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today, eheh
Brother, brother, brother, There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today, eheh
Father, father,
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer, For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today, oh oh oh
You see, war is not the answer, For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way, To bring some lovin' here today, oh oh oh
Picket lines
and picket signs, Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see, Oh, what's going on
What's going on, Yeah, what's going on
Ah, what's going on???
Talk to me, so you can see, Oh, what's going on
What's going on, Yeah, what's going on
Ah, what's going on???
From John Lennon:
Imagine there's
no heaven, It's easy if you try
No hell below us, Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today, Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
No hell below us, Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today, Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace, you
You may say I'm
a dreamer, But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one
I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one
Imagine no
possessions, I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you, You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one…
No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you, You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one…
Together.
We. Win.
Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr
Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr
Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers
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