un-angered
"Sometimes young people may do bad things, but they are not bad people"- Melissa Sawyer, Youth Empowerment Project.
In our effort to discover other planets viable for human life, we forget that ours is becoming less so. It's so much easier to drive right past inhumanity and pretend it's not your problem. It's so much easier to call the police and devolve yourself of a fellow human being's responsibility. It's so much easier to come home and discuss it at length with your friends and family, facebook and otherwise.
To post an angry status about the injustice in the world, and how gun violence is unacceptable and dear local representative, I'm calling to let you know that I think you should crack down on gun laws please
It's so much easier to be angry, to be indignant.
I think Peter Gold's story is so much more than that of a hero. It's a lesson in acceptance. The bestial consumption of media begets useless, wasteful anger. Everyone is angry about something, whether it's Taylor Swift or Sean Spicer or the war in Syria. Everyone is marching, protesting, painting their nails a certain color and wearing pins on their suitpockets to affirm allegiance to a very very noble cause. Their intentions are beautiful. They want a beautiful, safe, fair world. But their quest for "promoting awareness" is a little puzzling, to be honest. The passionate emails and newsletters and Facebook posts are only devoured by those who are already part of the respective tribe. They are belittled, torn apart by people on the other side. And this happens over and over and over again. It becomes an industry--you join my thoughtful noble organization and buy these T-shirts and pins and and I'll join yours. Oh but there's a monthly membership fee--it's for the annual dinners where our people get together and bad-talk their people.
Dear World, take note of the beautiful human being who is Peter Gold. I am admittedly biased because I remember being at Tulane when his story first came out, and praying for him and his family (see here). I remember being proud and puzzled at the same time--why didn't he just drive away and call the police??? If you listen to his interviews, he talks about how his reaction was "instinctual" and how he didn't even have time to think about anything but helping this young woman out.
But that is not why I respect him so much. To come BACK and put that anger aside, and address the root of the problem is easier said than done. We all get so caught up in our momentary struggles, and complain and quarrel and argue and wallow in self-pity. Our anger and discontent isn't just wasteful--it's dangerous.
It's adding fuel to the fire.
Peter Gold isn't raging about gun violence and knocking on the door of NOPD, demanding increased security and surveillance. There's no use in trying to increase your defenses when the resources are sparse, and beyond your control. It is more difficult, but more practical to eradicate the infection at its source.
Gold was angry obviously, but also just amazed. How does someone become capable of staring another human in the eye and pulling the trigger? What happened in that shooter's life to render him so cold-hearted?
It goes against all practical, evolutionary concepts of human behavior. Aren't humans meant to help each other out, have babies, and overpopulate this planet? I feel like there's a little button that should go off in even the meanest person's head when he or she is pointing a gun AT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.
button: DING DING DING what why don't shoot please stop. human. being. totally innocent. probably someone's son. probably would give u cash if he had any.
gun-holder: oh ur right k thx
For Peter Gold to come back from a nearly fatal gun shot, finish med school, become an orthopedic resident in New York AND go back to New Orleans to support the healthy emotional development of vulnerable youth---it's amazing! Sorry I'm losing my words and my sentences have lost any semblance of structure--but seriously it's like the plot of a Sundance Film Festival film.
So much respect, Dr. Gold. Thanks so much, my city needs people like you.
In our effort to discover other planets viable for human life, we forget that ours is becoming less so. It's so much easier to drive right past inhumanity and pretend it's not your problem. It's so much easier to call the police and devolve yourself of a fellow human being's responsibility. It's so much easier to come home and discuss it at length with your friends and family, facebook and otherwise.
To post an angry status about the injustice in the world, and how gun violence is unacceptable and dear local representative, I'm calling to let you know that I think you should crack down on gun laws please
It's so much easier to be angry, to be indignant.
I think Peter Gold's story is so much more than that of a hero. It's a lesson in acceptance. The bestial consumption of media begets useless, wasteful anger. Everyone is angry about something, whether it's Taylor Swift or Sean Spicer or the war in Syria. Everyone is marching, protesting, painting their nails a certain color and wearing pins on their suitpockets to affirm allegiance to a very very noble cause. Their intentions are beautiful. They want a beautiful, safe, fair world. But their quest for "promoting awareness" is a little puzzling, to be honest. The passionate emails and newsletters and Facebook posts are only devoured by those who are already part of the respective tribe. They are belittled, torn apart by people on the other side. And this happens over and over and over again. It becomes an industry--you join my thoughtful noble organization and buy these T-shirts and pins and and I'll join yours. Oh but there's a monthly membership fee--it's for the annual dinners where our people get together and bad-talk their people.
Dear World, take note of the beautiful human being who is Peter Gold. I am admittedly biased because I remember being at Tulane when his story first came out, and praying for him and his family (see here). I remember being proud and puzzled at the same time--why didn't he just drive away and call the police??? If you listen to his interviews, he talks about how his reaction was "instinctual" and how he didn't even have time to think about anything but helping this young woman out.
But that is not why I respect him so much. To come BACK and put that anger aside, and address the root of the problem is easier said than done. We all get so caught up in our momentary struggles, and complain and quarrel and argue and wallow in self-pity. Our anger and discontent isn't just wasteful--it's dangerous.
It's adding fuel to the fire.
Peter Gold isn't raging about gun violence and knocking on the door of NOPD, demanding increased security and surveillance. There's no use in trying to increase your defenses when the resources are sparse, and beyond your control. It is more difficult, but more practical to eradicate the infection at its source.
Gold was angry obviously, but also just amazed. How does someone become capable of staring another human in the eye and pulling the trigger? What happened in that shooter's life to render him so cold-hearted?
It goes against all practical, evolutionary concepts of human behavior. Aren't humans meant to help each other out, have babies, and overpopulate this planet? I feel like there's a little button that should go off in even the meanest person's head when he or she is pointing a gun AT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.
button: DING DING DING what why don't shoot please stop. human. being. totally innocent. probably someone's son. probably would give u cash if he had any.
gun-holder: oh ur right k thx
For Peter Gold to come back from a nearly fatal gun shot, finish med school, become an orthopedic resident in New York AND go back to New Orleans to support the healthy emotional development of vulnerable youth---it's amazing! Sorry I'm losing my words and my sentences have lost any semblance of structure--but seriously it's like the plot of a Sundance Film Festival film.
So much respect, Dr. Gold. Thanks so much, my city needs people like you.
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