| Yesterday, a madman marched into a school and put bullets in 27 now-dead teachers and children.
Today, all the world mourns. Facebook pages and media channels are stricken with grief and loss and disbelief. And rage that such insanity is possible. Deep inside, our hearts break. Everyone who has even contemplated being a parent shudders and asks, “What if that happened to MY kid?” How utterly unbearable. Then there are the undertones – both spoken and unspoken: “This happened because Americans have some sicko love affair with guns.” “If just one of those teachers DID have a gun in his desk, that raging lunatic would have never made it past Kid #3.” “The world is descending into chaos. Everything is getting worse and worse.” “Yeah I know it’s tragic, but look at the outpouring of love and support and people who stop EVERYTHING they are doing to come and help.” “What kind of God allows such senseless tragedies to take place?” “If people would just love God and love their neighbor as themselves, none of this would have ever happened.” “The government needs to take stricter measures and pass more laws.” “We need to invest more in mental health.” “We need to start cracking down on thugs – hard.” “This kind of stuff NEVER happened when I was a kid.” I’m not interested in arguing about what remedies are most appropriate. Not today anyway. What I’m interested in today is: How does this affect YOUR hope – YOUR outlook – YOUR action – YOUR job in the world? Days like yesterday sorely tempt us to abandon hope. The most tempting thing to believe is, “The world is going to hell in a handbasket.” And when you believe that, even just a little bit, the very next thing you do is give up the ground that you’ve gained with so much hard work and discipline. Without even a fight. You wanna talk about the world going to hell in a handbasket? Let’s talk about Lenin and Stalin. Let’s talk about Mao’s China and his “Great Leap Forward” and his “Cultural Revolution.” Those guys, in their quest for power, didn’t kill 27 innocent people every now and then. They killed 27 innocent people EVERY 15 MINUTES. FOR SIXTY YEARS. Sixty million total. Now here’s the punchline: How did they accomplish this? They accomplished it by exploiting peoples’ existing despair over their existing circumstances, convincing everyone that all was hopeless — hopeless without a fearless all-powerful leader who would finally and ultimately purge the world of the ‘bad guys.’ They received their power because hundreds of millions of ordinary people, who were really no different than you and me, GAVE UP and CAPITULATED TO DESPAIR and gave their assent to the idea that the world really was going to hell in a handbasket. Long before they had guns and armies, power was literally surrendered to these tyrants by the people who listened to their words. The common people were seduced by the power of despair. That is why – no matter what your opinion about guns or mental hospitals or how we might have rescued some killer’s dying inner child – you must not give an inch to this creeping sense of helplessness and victimhood. A point often missed is that in order to get their power, the tyrants had to create an illusion of their own Ultimate Authority. Which meant they had no choice but to get rid of God. (Lenin said, “Our program necessarily includes the propaganda of atheism.”) In fact, from 1929-1931, the Soviets even switched the 7-day week to a 5-day week with no universal “day off,” so as to utterly purge the idea of Sabbath or Sunday from the culture. That added to the drudgery. Which gave the tyrants… more power. If a madman in Connecticut adds to YOUR hopelessness and poisons your resolve to help other people, to grow your business, to send your kids to school every day… you’re capitulating to the tyrants. But if the madman in Connecticut inspires you to love your kids more, to pour more goodness into them and send them into the world as bold adults who know who they are and whose they are… if, even though your family like every family has its brokenness and dysfunctions, your children are unconditionally loved… …then evil loses. Good wins out. Og Mandino said, “Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it, because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no mater how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity. With it you can accomplish miracles.” By the way, I didn’t find out about yesterday’s tragedy until 6pm last night, when Laura mentioned it to me. That’s cuz I don’t seek out the news. News steals your enthusiasm and it almost never delivers anything of actual value. Every time I’ve ever needed to know something that’s going on in the world, somebody has come along and told me about it. You might consider adopting the same policy. Despair begets despair. Enthusiasm begets enthusiasm. So… if this tragedy is eroding yours, donate $5 or $50 or $500 to some charity, church or school in Newtown Connecticut. If for no other reason, do it just to prove to yourself that you possess power that yesterday’s killer cannot take away. Then, get on with building the world we all want for our children. Perry Marshall “Fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, you will be willing to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… our freedom!” -William Wallace, from the movie Braveheart |
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Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
63 Comments on “A different perspective on the killings”
Inhabitants of Planet Perry:
I send You greetings this morning of Friday December 21, 2012 when it appears that…
Surprise-Surprise…
The Mayan Long Count Calendar Prediction of The World’s End…
Did NOT—IN FACT—Occur.
ANYWHO—
As You May Recall…
Today is ALSO the day that “We” were to find out—IF…
IN The LONG COUNT BIG BUSINESS Game of “Duck, Duck, Goose”
[NOTE: “Goose” = Ideas/Methods To Make NEW Fortunes (i.e., “lay golden eggs”)]
IF—Y’all Decided To Reveal What Might Amount To Some Rather INCONVENIENT TRUTH—Especially For Your Buds &/or Clients Over@ Human (or Who/What-Ever’s) Genome Projects…
OR—IF… Y’all Decided To— Duck.
And…
Drum roll please…
THE ANSWER FOR TODAY IS…
OH OH—
I almost forgot to mention that You need to…
Be very careful what You choose because…
Somehow—Dude—I think that much of the Blogosphere KNOWS ALREADY and are just waiting to see IF Your Response is…
Good
Bad
Indifferent
OR—Some Combination of The Above…
‘Cuz… Perry—As YOU of ALL PEOPLE Ought To KNOW…
THESE DAYS—What Any HIGH PROFILE PERSON (& Most Mid-to-low Profile Persons—As Well) Says &/or Does… Stays About As PRIVATE As A Rod Blagojevich… et al… Phone Call.
Anyway—
THE ANSWER FOR TODAY IS…
Duck.
Are “We” Surprised… ??
No.
Are “We” Disappointed… ??
Again—No. It probably IS BETTER that I have to go & seek Another Way to get THIS “word” out… After Our Christmas Holidays…
Merry Christmas & Happy New 2013 Year To YOU—All.
Perry,
You are my brother. Fitting words well spoken. I succumb at times to the dispair,for this world has been a world of death since someone kept records. It will not allways be so. We triumph in that hope, that light. I trust you will not mind my sharing these great thoughts with others who get down hearted. Someone totaled the devastation of last century at 183,000,000 killed by thier own governments. These were civilian deaths. I am afraid it is just business as usual today. Not God’s fault, man’s nature. God is the solution.
P. McKinley
Thank you Perry, that is one of the most sensible, balanced and un-dramatic comments I have read about the tragedy.
Like you, I try hard not to listen or watch many news bulletins, and then mainly international ones because of connections with other countries.
Unfortunately, even the BBC is still using this story as a lead days after the event.
You are correct, dwelling on the tragedy is not in the slightest helpful.
For most of my life, I lived in a much more violent and unstable part of the world, at times, violent deaths, injuries and intimidation were a daily occurrence.
We learned to get over it and not allow circumstances to destroy our hope.
I am against censorship, but I believe the media’s over-dramatisation and incessant coverage of this and other tragedies, is both irresponsible and detrimental to society.
As always Perry, a rational, unbiased post on a difficult topic. Your information about Lenin creating an atheistic society is very interesting…I did not know that. But makes perfect sense. As do your points about dictators gaining power by taking advantage of people’s misery and despair. Sadly, it reminds me of the U.S. at the present time.
God bless Newtown CT.
Recommended reading: “The True Believer” by Eric Hoffer
Thanks for your words. As soon a I heard about this tragedy, the following scripture came to mind:
Luke 23: 26-31
26When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
27And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.
28But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’
30“Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’
31“For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
God help us all.
Thank your for your Truth stand on your platform.
I do not watch the news either. I did find some interesting information.
The shooter in Conn. and the Col. movie shooter BOTH have fathers testifying in the senate’s billion dollar LIBOR scandal.
You dont have to post this, but wanted YOU to know.
Thanks Perry- beautifully written. I live in Newtown, CT, and it’s been a rough couple of days, but I continue to work on creating the world you envision above.
All the best- Nick
Nick,
I had to re-read this before I posted it, wondering if anyone in Newtown would find it hurtful. Glad you reached out. Know that every church in America was praying for your city yesterday.
The theme of the post is to stay focused and ignore the news.
This is a reply to Gerald and it needs to correct a factual error.
In the UK we have strict gun control. Google this PDF Firearm crime statistics, Standard Note: SN/SG/1940 Last updated: 30 January 2012, which is in the UK House of Commons Library. After the rules were tightened up in the face of our own gun lobby, the crimes fell sharply, long term trend also sharply down. Other trends I have seen today for Norway, Denmark, Finland and France are the same. The frequency, if not the magnitude of other tragedies is sharply lower than in the USA. The grief felt by the Americans is just as powerfully felt elsewhere. But behaviour can be changed if your country dares take on the gun lobbies. There is hope.
But tomorrow is Monday, and there are businesses to grow, and that is where I’ll be at shortly.
Correction to my post: Alexander Hamilton: 1st Secretary of State under George Washington Not a president.
Gerald
I was trying to figure out what is the right reasoning to do amongst this unthinkable chaos. Gun control does not seem to work. The right to bear arms does not seem to work. the psychological correction of mankind does not seem doable, but only for maybe for one person at a time. One baby at a time one child at at time. One teenager at a time, one young adult at a time, one young parent at a time, one professional at a time, one middle aged person at at time, one elderly person or one centarian at a time. I guess, by the time one reaches the century, they don’t worry about killing anyone, and they figure whatever worries they have, will end soon.
But God has put good and evil into this world and we have a choice to choose good rather than evil. I believe it’s human nature. When we get angry, we “loose it” all sense of reasoning. psychologist have even reached a point of agreement that we should express the anger whenever we could. which is ridiculous – I personally think. Then anger management jumed in, then we didn’t know how to act and became confused.
The best thing we could do is to be calm and be creative and positive. help other people in their despiar. Last night to calm my mind and get a sense of eduacation and see how a great leader (with a flaw) operated, I went to see the movie, Lincoln.
The war had just broken out and he was in the situation room with his cabinet secretaries. They were awaiting his decsion to do something of strategy to protect his army.
But Lincoln commenced to tell them a story, at the disgust of one of his cabinet members who said. “Oh my God don’t tell me you’re going to tell a story at this crucial time.’ and walked out of the meeting room. Lincoln calmly continued his story saying “There was a picture of president George Washington afixed on the water closet in the presidential suite and the then President Alexander Hamilton playfully complained – I am paraphrasing – “The president’s picture is affixed over the water closet and it is so peculiar that he seems to have me in full view whenever I take a S**t. The whole cabinet erupted in laughter, even under the tense moment of awaiting lincolns orders in reaction to the war.”
I believe Lincoln did this to calm everybody down, he must have said a prayer also before taking any wild actions.
God Bless.
Thanks Perry
Thank you, Perry, for the first REALLY SANE look at the insanity of this senseless action of violence and the REAL choice we have in dealing with it. What will I choose to ‘do’ with this most unpleasant information? Whose voice will I listen to and who will I choose to follow?
We ARE NOT VICTIMS of the world we see. Our actions and intentions are what create meaning over chaos and ill-begotten rage birthed from the belief in victimhood.
What the world needs now is LOVE, SWEET LOVE… Blessings of this season of peace and joy be with you and with us all.
All we can do is the right thing. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing.
A timely article Perry.
I’m British, and I do spend a level of time adding my voice to create changes that may prevent the bad things happening. And in this country I do win successes.
But the majority of my time goes on the positive stuff associated with business, pushing out the press coverage, and encouraging my clients to think the same way.
I sometimes reference your views in this. Keep it up.
First of all, there’s no need to bash atheists because of this tragedy because of Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. There have been just as many horrific atrocities committed against innocent people in the name of God, if not more.
And for those who say this horrible tragedy is not a national issue, you need to wake up and actually start paying attention to the news. It was only a few days earlier that a crazed gunman shot and killed people at a shopping mall outside of Portland, Oregon. This was preceded a week earlier by an NFL player who shot and killed his girlfriend in an apparent domestic dispute before killing himself in front of his coach and GM. A month or so earlier, a white supremacist shot and killed a bunch of Sikh people during religious services, and there was the psycho who shot and killed all those people at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. And then you have all the daily incidents of gun violence in big cities across the country. This violence needs to stop, yet our politicians are kowtowing to the National Rifle Association by passing even more laws allowing concealed carrying of weapons into public places like schools, churches, and shopping malls. heck, one state even passed a law allowing people to carry concealed weapons into a bar. With a mixture of lethal weapons and alcohol, what could possibly go wrong?
Having said that, your message about choosing to live your life fully in the face of tragedy and despair is right on point. While unfortunate events like violence and natural disasters happen all the time, the way we react to such situations reveals our true character. Now we can choose to give in to despair and fear, or we can go ahead with our lives and become a force for peace, love, and understanding.
First let’s get the facts straight:
In all human history, religious wars have claimed roughly 30 million lives.
Lenin, Stalin and Mao killed twice that many people in 60 years.
Is it just a coincidence that all three were flaming atheists?
Did they just “happen” to crack down HARD on religion and religious expression, demolishing churches and killing tens of thousands of priests and nuns, denying people jobs if they publicly professed their faith, for no particular reason at all?
Did Lenin state that atheism was a necessary component of communist propaganda because he was… stupid?
In the 20th century, the countries where the majority of citizens were atheists almost invariably had rampant corruption and horrific human rights abuses, often to the point of genocide. Is this just a coincidence?
“the countries where the majority of citizens were atheists almost invariably had rampant corruption and horrific human rights abuses”
Like, for example, Francos Spain or Pinochets Chile?
Perry, I agree with you that it is very helpful for a dictator to eradicate religious beliefs in order to install another “religion” – of him being a kind of unquestioned god. But this is only one of many aspects of the suppression of individualism, especially of moral values and personal beliefs in dictatorships.
And I think that this logic doesn´t work the other way around like “if there´s atheism, there are no moral value”.
In putting it this way, you do no better than the other “underlying messages” like “we need more gonvernmental regulation” or “the world is going down”.
By trying to advocate your religious beliefs, which I respect, you weaken your main argument. Let´s stay together in our belief in humanity and not mix it with other, in my opinion minor, discrepancies!
To Peter & Neil,
Communism, especially in Russia, abolished religion and spirituality in all its wisdom and tradition. Strangely enough, after 72 years (1917-1989) in Russia and in all former Soviet Block countries, after the fall of the Iron Curtain and return to the freedoms of human behaviors, people flocked to churches.
Why? Because people know instinctively they are spiritual creatures and they need their spirituality.
How many generations are there in 72 years of communism in Russia?
I grew up in a communist country, Romania, under the infamous Ceausescu regime, where people were imprisoned for going to church on Christmas or Easter day and they were supposed to show up for work. Some of us, the lucky ones, heard about the Bible from our grandparents, however, most were not so lucky because even the grandparents were afraid to talk about religion. In Romania we had communism for only 42 years (1947-1989).
I just returned from Moscow, Russia where I’ve seen the most amazing church in my life, The Cathedral of Christ the Savior. My favorite used to be St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City even though I’m not neither Irish nor Catholic and I named my first American born son, Patrick, to my husband’s quiet discord. I perceive churches as art monuments, and you should too, because there are no places with so much beauty that convey comfort on the visitor.
Perry’s posting was about perspective – not allowing the negative to influence us. However, you allow the negatives of religion influence you – you are missing the point of the post focusing on religion and Perry’s beliefs.
Interestingly, The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built by two tsars, blown up by Stalin who made a public swimming pool at the site (probably due to the huge hole done by destroying the foundation) and rebuilt immediately after the perestroika identical from the saved plans of the French architect.
It is breath taking – the most elevating art you will ever encounter. The inside painted cupolas are over 300 feet and the 10 feet outside bronzes you cannot see anywhere else on Earth. Trust me, I live in Manhattan for 30 years and I traveled the world with my love for art and human creations.
Note: Perry in communism we worked 6 days a week and the 7th day it was volunteer work. Ha, ha, ha!!!
Wow, thanks for your post! Fascinating. I hope to make it to that cathedral, I had heard of it being blown up – it is very famous.
“In the 20th century, the countries where the majority of citizens were atheists almost invariably had rampant corruption and horrific human rights abuses, often to the point of genocide. Is this just a coincidence?”
I imagine you forgot to include the slaughter of the native populations of North America, and the deaths of possibly tens of millions of Africans caused by the Brittish and American slave trades in your calculations and thinking.
Both atheism and catholicism have been used to beat down their populations into a hopeless, fearful, and unresistant gathering of sheep. And both were willing to slaughter them unmercifully and unjustly to keep them in line. One (catholicism) just had a head start historically, when our population on this planet was a fraction of what it was even in the 1800s.
No one knows the true story of Connecticut. It could be as simple as another case of misdiagnosis and improper prescription of drugs for depression. That would be incompetence, and the victims would include the shooter.
Google Dr. Daniel Amen’s research on the matter (world class brain scientist). We don’t know.
I also thought that the atheist comments were discordant with the thread of your article – and clearly a huge distraction. But I couldn’t agree more otherwise.
Neil,
In all history, religious wars have killed 30 million. The communists exterminated religion AND 60 million people in just 60 years. The could have never accomplished mass genocide without getting rid of religion first.
There’s an interesting 80/20 observation to be made:
What percentage of Christian countries over the last 1000 years have been dictatorships? A high number might be 20%. It’s probably more like 5-10% and it might be even less.
What percentage of atheist countries over the last 1000 years have been dictatorships? A low number might be 80%. It’s probably more like 90-95% and it might be more.
Regarding “Christian dictatorships” – If you subtract out Catholic countries and only consider protestant countries, conditions further improve.
That said, we’re still left with situations like Nazi Germany where Christianity was used as a tool of hatred. What do we make of that?
I believe the defining teaching of Christianity is Jesus’ sermon on the mount – Matthew 5:
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
If that’s Christianity, was Nazi Germany really Christian? If that’s Christianity, were the slave trades Christian?
In World War II, Hitler and the National (“Nazi”/Nazional) Socialist movement engineered what you could call the coconut-milking of Christianity in Germany. You can pierce a hole in a coconut and drink or pour out the coconut milk. Likewise, the churches in World War II Germany (both Catholic and Protestant) were commandeered by the government and Christian principles were replaced by the government creed. The outward buildings, props and gatherings of people remained the same, but the spirit and ideals were replaced. One famous protester, a member of the Confessing Church, was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. There are compelling accounts of the last few years of his young life, but this Wikipedia article will do:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer#Confessing_Church
Wikipedia has an overview of “Religion in Nazi Germany:”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nazi_Germany
if guns kill people do pencils misspell words…
Joe… funny comment – I laughed out loud.
So we let them remove God out of the classroom and push God out of our families and lives and wonder how could this happen?
I’m afraid that we are just now beginning to reap the results of last 30 years.
Without God there is no hope! There is only dispair and hopelessness.
What the tyrants did was to put themselves up as God… to put forth the government as their savior. Already people are calling for the government to step in and be their savior and create laws and do something to stop this madness.
Let us not go down that path any further than we have already. Instead, let us turn back to God and start loving those in dispair and helping those who are in hopelessness.
We should stop depending upon the government and look to ourselves and God for the solution.
An excellent article Perry. You really hit the mark with this one.
.. and despite the comment from Peter the atheist I would assert that the remark on atheism is highly appropriate seeing as this tragic event in itself was a Godless, immoral and unethical act which are all hallmarks of the atheistic paradigm.
Perry, keep on writing and challenging and inspiring people to rise to their highest and to never give in to negative thinking and hopelessness.
Peter,.. if there is no God then there is absolutely no hope for anything. That’s worth thinking about!
The world needs a leader who can teach these principles. Run for President.
Hey Perry thank you for your insight. As far as some of the comments go. I am having a hard time connecting the dots to President Obama’s political agenda and what happen inside a madman’s mind.
Also what’s up with the Atheist taking it personal about the Lenin quote. Lenin was a very cunning person and he new as every dictator knows that you cannot control a group of people who believe in a power greater than. Again thank you for your insight it is quite powerful God Bless
Well said Perry, excellent post~ and I agree with you. Its time for righteousness to shine like never before and for those willing to step up with deeds, not words and fight this great battle.
Excellent post, Perry. I plan to share it with my friends and colleagues. Everything is not out of our control – we can pray for the families, and then continue to hope and dream and build and believe.
We can do all we can do – and then trust God to do what we cannot do.
Never give up.
Thank you for a powerful reminder.
Great stuff Perry! I may regurgitate some of your thoughts and concepts in my own spin for friends. It’s great stuff! Thank you!
Amen.
Thanks, Perry, for a great and thoughtful perspective.
Hi Perry
When these dreadful events happen whether in US, UK or some where else we usually find out later that the young person was socially isolated, liked guns or knives or were obsessed with body building. Maybe we need to start observing this long before they get round to killing people. There is more attention paid to sudden death syndrome in young people and in much the same way we need to take note that people are not psychologically well.
On a personal note, an aunt of mine emigrated from Ireland in the 1940s to Conneticutt and worked in a similar school as this as a classroom assistant. Two weeks after she buried her elderly husband, on a Sunday night she got the ironing board and pressed her uniform, sat in a chair and died. She was only 83 years old. I find myself thinking that I’m glad she did not live to see this.
As usual, your insight shared is right on target. My “despair” comes over the news media coverage and the masses who need to see these terrible events to confront the realities of a country/world where people seem to be in denial about the need for having positive values and living a life of giving oneself to bring these about. I also happen to believe these values include a loving God who cares about each of us and is the source of genuine love.
Thanks Perry. I don’t watch or listen to “news” either and of course I found out because a colleague of mine said – “did you hear about . . .” while fumbling with a smart phone.
The first time I clearly understood the connection between the feelings of despair and helplesness in a population and the rise to power of a tyrant was from reading Colson’s How Now Shall We Live. Examples throughout history are numerous.
And boy have we chased God out of public affairs in the US. Have you ever read any of Lincoln’s speeches? Full of references to God. You won’t hear a politician talk like that today by gum!
Step one – teach the FACTS about the THEORY of evolution to our school children in public schools. Anyone with the will to take a half-hearted look will find many holes big enough to drive a Wal-Mart truck through.
Step two – show our kids the incredibly complex world that supports us and all the just right conditions that must exist for any of us to be here debating all this.
We all have SO much work to do.
Love, Eric
Right-on Perry.
I agree with your message Perry. You are a good man. I have two things to say:
1. Having lived in the UK all my life, I can’t imagine a society that legalises the possession of guns. I know you are trying to steer clear of that debate in this post, but still, I can’t see how it is anything but central to it. If people don’t have free access to firearms, then surely this kind of outrage is much less likely to happen? In this country, even the police don’t carry guns, and I feel safer for it.
2. Your William Wallace quote is so Hollywood patronising, I almost find it offensive. Load of old tosh.
My thoughts are with everyone who has suffered such an intolerable loss. And also with people the whole world over who suffer under circumstances I can’t begin to even imagine.
With respect,
Jim
Sorry to get in your face. But you are so wrong. The majority of society do not desire to murder others. Would you not agree? Do most people in your country have a desire to do ill to little children? With guns? Or without? No.
I have a steak knife in my drawer. I use it to prepare dinner. A sicko might have a different use for it than I. I hope I have one handy should that sicko want to break in.
To suggest that majority may not defend themselves is ludricrous.
Think people: WHEN GUNS ARE OUTLAWED……ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE THEM!!!
Errrr I dont think so. If you get off your high horse and look at the cold hard facts, I think you will find that the amount of people murdered in the U.S. with guns, per capita, is far greater than in those societies which don’t allow them. So get your facts right.
It is plainly obvious that if this guy was mentally disturbed, as it appears he was, and thought to himself “I know I’ll go and kill a bunch of children”, how many do you think he would have killed with a knife as opposed to using guns?
Your argument is typically crazy…
Thanks for your insight and reality check and history lesson. We can’t rely on the government or the world to give us hope. Continue with inspiring others to what makes the world better beyond our self interest.
You’re SO CLOSE To Touching THE BIG & RIGHT IDEA That–IF THIS Were A Game of “Warmer & Colder”–Everybody Would Be Shouting Out “HOT” !!
Rearrange & slightly modify Your last phrase…
“…what makes the world better beyond our self interest.”
To…
IT Absolutely IS Our BEST & SELF Interest To Make The World A Better Place.
btw…
Wot Do U Mean…
“Continue with inspiring others…”
THIS MESSAGE IS NOT JUST FOR “OTHERS”…
IT’S 4 U2–Dude.
It would have been a great post, but: the atheism bashing is totally unnecessary to make your point.
An atheist who agrees with you in all other aspects
Peter- RE: “the atheism bashing” ??
A truthful recounting of recorded events of history is NOT “bashing”…
However–
The editing out of Inconvenient Truth because it sheds unflattering light on Your “fav” beliefs is Censorship & Suppression.
ANYWHO–
Let Me share an exchange I had with a Cross-Country Cousin of Mine concerning this Latest Carnage…
SF Cousin: First, I agree with the news report on Yahoo, this morning, that the latest random shooting, in Connecticut, was senseless and tragic. As somebody said, it is bad when someone “does themself in” and worse when they kill others. The news report said the shooter was 20 years old, intelligent, and basically a loner. People at work were saddened, in shock, and listening to the radio news for hours.
Me: So TOO MANY Young Men Go BALLISTIC All Across Our Nation…
And while I agree that this IS Tragic…
The CONSISTENCY of THESE EVENTS MEAN–
These Events Are NOT Simply “Senseless”…
And The SOONER That We Admit & Explore & Effectively Address What Amount To–
THE METHODS–IN & FOR–THE MADNESS…
The Sooner We Might Get A Course-Correction…
For Our Nation’s “Ship of State” To…
Come ABOUT–
True That ??
I just don´t see the link between this shooting and the question of religion/atheism. One doesn´t have to believe in god to respect other human beings or to have ethical standards. If christians claim kind of a monopol of being good – it doesn´t look good to me.
Besides: I didn´t say, that the mention of historical facts is bashing, but if you say “this horrible shooting is where atheism leads us” – hm.
You REALLY think that mass murder is completely divorced from questions of religion ?? [NOTE: Because atheism is a set of beliefs–it’s misleading to write “religion/atheism” as You did–as if they’re opposite sides of a coin–when they operate more like different facets of the same rock. After All–Even People of GREAT Faith IN GOD Often Think That THEIR IDEAS ABOUT GOD–ARE–THE ONLY TRUE IDEAS… So REALLY… There’s very little to distinguish Their Ways of Processing Their Ideas of The World from The Ways of Card-Carrying Atheists]…
Anyway–
Religions deal with the questions & issues that concern… among other ideas… Life & Death & Our Relationships With Each Other & The World–At Large…
Your denial, therefore, of a “link” boarders on duplicity.
We now know that Adam Lanza and His Mother attended St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church. As a Cradle Catholic–Myself–I Know That… being raised “IN” A Traditional Church Religion IS NOT a Guarantee that You will NEVER undergo a “Crisis of Faith”…
I went thru one when I was around Adam Lanza’s age–only I underwent a psychological IMPLOSION instead of an EXPLOSION… which is fairly typical of hormonally-driven personality differences & responses of Young Women v. Young Men… hmm ??
Perry, eloquently stated. It’s tough sometimes to stay the course. That’s why we entrepreneurs need to stick together… to remind us that life is good and that love makes the world go ’round.
Thank you!
Craig Valine
Well hello Perry
Nice article, unfortunately you attack the wrong target, Obama would have been more appropriate. He has used the full range of weaponry to subjugate both Americans and foreign nations. America needs to stop using arms as the default bargaining chip and return to using dialogue to resolve both its internal and external issues. A massacre in the USA has become to international observers as nothing out of the norm, this should act as a wake up call to all Americans.
Be careful what you ask for, you might actually get it.
“Blame Obama” or “Obama should do X.” This is actually what Perry’s article is warning against.
Drought? Gas prices? Kid scraped her knee? Yup! Another job for Superprez. Yesterday as the news was breaking, normally-thoughtful NPR had a brief statement from the CT Governor’s office, then went straight to Obama. Forget witnesses, the police chief, whatever — we want to hear from the biggest celebrity of them all.
Yes, this event is a big deal; it is horrifying and hurtful to the humanity in all human beings in all countries. 20 children! However, let’s remember that this is fundamentally a Connecticut matter between Connecticut people. No foreign attackers, no WMD, yet we’ve made this a federal matter.
After this, we complain about faceless DC bureaucrats grabbing more & more power. They regulate and make clueless decisions far away in their ivory towers. Yet, WE are asking for exactly that every time we demand federal intervention.
Again, be careful what you ask for… he might actually “do something.” We’ve allowed this guy to take the power to have anybody, anywhere killed (oops I meant “targeted”) on his mere say-so. I’m not sure that I want to see what he does for an encore if we ask for it. Preventive detention, anyone?
Thanks Perry for the wise comments and the encouragement
as we all need it in time like this…and let God´s love
reign in everyone hearts.
My prayers goes to their family and friends as well as
for all the kids who survived who will need comfort and
help for their trauma.
Peace,Love and Compassion!
Well said Perry!
Beautifully and powerfully said, Perry. Never, never, never give up. – WC
Thank you for this re-affirming perspective and unique point of view. Numbness was my first reaction. It is a defense mechanism you develop after seeing so much pain. But it is not a life guiding mechanism.
Clarity and resolve are guiding mechanism or tools. Your blogpost just gave me both. Thank you Perry.
Hi Perry! I, like you, did not hear of the tragedy at Newtown until my ex-wife asked me about it. I seldom watch the news on television and I do not subscribe to any newspapers. My Bible has taught me that, until my Lord returns to Earth, there will always be evil on Earth as well as Good. And, that all things shall pass. Before learning of the tragedy at Newtown, I was building my businesses. After learning of the tragedy, I am still building my businesses. Why? Because there are people whom need my marketing skills to help them to achieve their goals and dreams. I not only possess Hope for better tomorrows. I share this Hope with others daily! Good has always triumphed over evil and will continue to do so. My Bible tells me so!
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Well said Perry. Thanks.
Wow, Perry. Eloquent and powerful. I, too, have been trying to get back to normal and resist reading more about this horrific tragedy. But your post gives me a sense of hope that I pray others get to quickly. I’d like to post your link on my FB to help spread your message. Hope all is well! xo
In the midst of incomprehensible grief comes the raw determination to be a messenger. To say and do whatever it takes to be a light unto the world just as I am, and to know that is the reason we are all here. We are called to be tireless messengers of light, no matter what happens, no matter how dark the world appears. My light must burn even brighter now for those whose lights have been extinguished. May their souls rest in peace, and their friends and family be comforted.
Perry,
Thank you… thoughtful, insightful, and outstandingly written.
Milan Moore, MD
Great post Perry, I totally agree with your ideas and perspective. I noticed the headlines on yahoo, however I avoid reading such negativity, I can get the gist of things just from headlines. What we focus on we attract, as for me, I’m not going to focus on it.
Make Your Day Awesome!
On your post; Oddly… Some time ago, I changed my “firefox home page” to my own website, instead of yahoo.
I noticed a dramatic increase in my work production.
I actually changed it (my home page) to the google search of my keyword, then I click on it, as to show google, just one more visitor, each day. As we know, that is what matters, not you simply going.
So instead of news each day. My website grows, however small. And… all the experts say, dont seek the news, that is actually a common “production” tactic. Even Echart Tolle says don’t watch or seek the news.
Perry,
This is a great perspective and beautifully written. Thanks.
Steve