Yet again, two deadly mass shootings within hours in Texas and Ohio have shocked America.
At least 31 people are dead and dozens wounded in both incidents, spreading fear, bewilderment and confusion throughout American society.
The same scenario replays over and over, only the locations and names change, fueling a blame game in a bitter political campaign for next year’s presidential race and rekindling the debate on gun control and right-wing extremism.
When will the bloodshed stop?
What Breeds Ongoing Violence in the U.S.?
The violence is the result of increasing egoism, i.e. self-benefit at the expense of others, everywhere in the world, and particularly in American culture.
Humanity looks to the United States for an example of positive, calm and peaceful relations. Such a state will never come about by drafting new laws, but only through a change in the way human nature operates in society: Instead of relating to each other through egoistic lenses, to develop new supportive, encouraging and understanding attitudes to every person. In order to reach that level of positive change, society needs to implement a method of connection that it has yet to realize.
El Paso’s deadly shooting, handled as domestic terrorism, underscored similar extremist views against immigrants, Jews, and other minorities seen in the supremacist acts of violence in a mosque in New Zealand and in the synagogue in Pittsburg and Poway, California, earlier this year. The motive behind the shooting in Dayton, Ohio, is still unclear. The 24-year-old gunman apparently showed radical liberal views and obsession with violence before the attack.
More provocations can be expected not because of Trump’s border wall with Mexico, the toughening of policies on migrants trespassing across the border, or because of the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. America is likely to experience many more similar difficult events as a direct result of major struggles in an increasingly egoistic society unless some action is taken.
Over 250 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. since the beginning of 2019, and every event has served to increase public concern, but it is short-lived and vanishes as soon as a new item occupies the headlines. If this trend continues, since no one can find a real solution, the bloodshed that Americans will face is bound to become unbearable.
It is true that in America it is easy to purchase firearms, but the trigger finger is the result of the growing egoism in American society. Tension and aggravation accumulate daily until they explode in cruel ways. And when people feel like life is not worth living, their senseless acts reflect the worst that culture has taught them.
What the World Expects From the United States
It comes as no surprise that the U.S. faces so much trouble. American society is closely tied to the world’s opinion, and vice versa. Since World War II, the world has been immensely influenced by the United States. There is an innate expectation upon the highly developed and wealthy USA to enlighten the rest of the world and set a constructive trend for others to follow. If America succeeds, everyone will become fueled with a new kind of positive inspiration, but if it fails, it will need to absorb the blame.
The plethora of contrasts and conflicts that exist in humanity are more pronounced in the U.S. than elsewhere. These opposites exacerbate the differences between Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, American-born citizens and immigrants. The super-heated cauldron bubbles and erupts as violent events that shock the world.
The American vision includes two polar extremes: on one hand, the freedom to do whatever one wants, while on the other, the need to refrain from harming others. It is a country where every person is free to express him or herself, but should opt for moderation. It is a country where any person can walk around with a weapon for security, but should never shoot the gun unnecessarily. In practice, however, we do not see the materialization of these ideals outside the text of the Constitution.
As the world groans under the pressure of two conflicting forces — the global force of connection, and the separating power of the ego — we have entered into a state that increasingly resembles ancient Babylon 4,000 years ago prior to its collapse (more on that in Part 2 of this article). But today we cannot pull away from one another in order to calm our egos down. Our only option is to work on our connection, on our unity.
Human society today needs an addition of the unifying positive force that balances the negative power of our ego.
The question is how?
In Part 2 of this article, I will explain the method of connection for a harmonious and peaceful existence: a method devised back in the times of ancient Babylon by Abraham the Patriarch as a tested solution to rise above the growing social division and hatred of that time.
This article is Part 1 of a series.
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