...what it is, ain't exactly clear

I am having some considerable difficulties about how best to begin this post. About how best to begin this post; about how best to present my thoughts; and about how best to reach a conclusion, if there is, in fact, a conclusion to be eventually reached. And I do not believe I alone am having these problems. Anyone who has been following the news lately must surely be facing the same issues with comprehension that I myself am facing. Which is why it is all the more important to remind ourselves that it is incumbent upon us all to exercise some measure of caution while approaching the matters being discussed in the news. We, Human Beings, are peculiar creatures indeed. Despite being given – or rather, having been blessed with – the faculties with which to reach reasonable, logical deductions, too often do we make snap judgments about people, nations and nature; and despite calling ourselves civilized, too easily do we allow ourselves to be pushed, by one force or another, towards the lowest depths of barbarity.

Just six months. Within the space of just six months we have witnessed four mass shootings in the United States. Aurora, Colorado; twelve dead. Oak Creek, Wisconsin; six dead. Happy Valley, Oregon; two dead. And finally, Newtown, Connecticut; twenty-seven dead. After each of these instances, people were left pondering the obvious: “Why?” The Oak Creek Sikh Temple shootings seemed to have a ideological motive behind it; the perpetrator was affiliated with white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, and it was deemed to be a hate crime. The three remaining incidents appeared simply to have been senseless acts of mass murder committed by individuals with no agenda or motives whatsoever. Nevertheless, the people wanted to know why; and a variety of reasons were given; none of which, in my opinion, went on to provide a complete, comprehensive answer.

One reason provided was, obviously, the lack of a more restrictive gun control laws. It is quite easy to come to that conclusion, after all, not only does the Constitution of the United States gives its citizens the right to bear arms, the United States, with a staggering 270 million guns in civilian hands as of 2009, also comes in first in a comparison of the number of privately owned firearms. But depending solely upon the total number of privately owned firearms will lead us nowhere in this debate. What must also be given equal importance is the rate of privately owned firearms for every hundred people. In that list too, the U.S comes in first, with 88.8 firearms per 100 people. The fourth country on that list is Finland, with 45.7 firearms per 100 people. Yet, while 9,146 gun related homicides were reported in 2009, only 22 were reported in Finland (although, the word “only” loses all its significance if one remembers the Talmudic saying that “Whosoever destroys a soul, destroys the world entire”). Now take a closer look at these numbers. If 45.7 firearms per 100 people yielded the murder of 22 people, mathematics dictates that 88.8 firearms per 100 people would have resulted in approximately 43 deaths. But mathematics has no influence upon the Human psyche, and instead of 43, the United States ended up with 9,146 deaths. Clearly, the extent of this disparity indicates that the issue here is much larger than the mere regulations of guns. However, that being said, I must also add my personal views regarding the possession of guns. In my opinion, private possession of fully automatic assault weapons should be prohibited; a thorough background check of any individual who wishes to own a gun must be conducted before any form of firearm is sold to them; and above all else, every gun owner must handle his or her firearm responsibly; for instance, keep them stored safely and securely to prevent unauthorized use and out of reach of children. Everyone should have the right to own whatever it is they wish to own, as long as they do not use it – or allow it to be used – in order to infringe upon the rights of others.

It has also been argued that violent movies and video games are to be blamed for these attacks. Yes, the perpetrator of the Aurora shootings can be placed on display to prove that point; but that is just one person. What about all those millions of others who watch violent movies and played violent video games, who go on to live perfectly normal lives? Besides, if movies and games depicting violence did in fact lead to violent acts, then how come movies and games set in a peaceful environment do not lead to acts of peace? I, at least, am yet to come across a Farmville player who has been inspired to take up farming because of the game.

Movies and games are not the only source of gore and carnage. The scriptures of all great religions are much bloodier than anything Hollywood has produced (in fact, on occasions, the film industry has actually borrowed stories from the various religions to make a profit). And then, of course, there is the local news. With all the stories about shootings, robberies, aggravated assaults, and political wranglings, these news outlets paint a dismal, horrifying picture of the world in which we live, and they do it with a smile on their face. They paint pictures of reality that are much more grotesque than anything that Dali came up with. In some, these images inspire horror; in others, hatred; and in still others, an opportunity to put their grandiose ambitions and agenda on full display. Everyone knows the names of Osama Bin Laden and Timothy McVeigh; how many know the names of their victims?

But the violence displayed in the news media does not wholly answer why these massacres take place either. The news media are doing only that which they have been trained to do, and have every right to do: report, and occasionally, comment. The fact that their subject matters are so despairing and terrifying is not their fault; that is, sadly the reality of the world we inhabit. And as for those who use the news to promote one propaganda or the other, they have always been able to do so, long before modern journalism even came into being.

So, where does all this leave us? Nowhere, to be precise. We started off by asking why these mass shootings take place; we discussed three possible answers – lax gun control laws, violent movies and games, the news; none of them were completely satisfying – not to me, at least. But maybe, we have been asking the wrong question to begin with.

Other than the shooter involved in the Wisconsin tragedy, the perpetrators of the shootings in Colorado, Oregon, and Connecticut had a few things in common: They were all in their early 20's and they were all described by those around them to be nice and smart. One of them was pursuing a Ph.D in neuroscience; another “loved hanging out” with his friends; the other enjoyed skateboarding. And their actions left all those close to them in shock and disbelief.

In their early 20's. In their early 20's. They all had their whole lives ahead of them; they could have contributed so much to the society. Yet they – at least two of them – chose to end, not only their lives, but the lives of so many others, leaving us all shocked, horrified and confused.

The question should not be why these people did what they did; but rather, it should be what pushed these seemingly normal individuals into taking so many innocent lives in such a barbaric manner. For in the answer to that question alone shall we find the tools that will help us prevent such attacks in the future.

No one is born evil. No one. Which is why it is imperative that as we remember the victims of these mass shootings, pray for their families, and their communities, we also remember Adam Lanza (1992 – 2012), Jacob Roberts (1990 – 2012), and James Holmes (b.1987). They, and others like them, hold the key that will explain how a Human Being turns into a monster; that in turn will help us in preventing such metamorphosis; and that, in turn, will eventually lead to a world where parents can send their children to school, fully assured that they will be able to see them smile again.