On Guns and Their Control ~ The Nature of Humans

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the opening scene of Star Trek Five: The Final Frontier (arguably the worst of the Star Trek movies), we find ourselves witnessing events on Nimbus III, The Planet of Galactic Peace.  On a planet devoted to peace guns are not allowed. 

This has not prevented the locals from designing and building weapons.  They have compressed air rifles that shoot stones.  The Federation ambassador on the planet states, “Our new age died a quick death. The settlers we conned into coming here were the dregs of society.  They soon began fighting amongst themselves.  When we forbade them weapons they soon began to fashion their own.”

In the popular game, Skyrim war is called the “Season Unending”.  We have been killing each other for all of recorded history.  The progression of our ability to do this is perhaps one of the most significant and tragic demonstrations of our creativity.  We become continuously better at creating ways to destroy each other.  Our entertainment is filled with violence.  We make sport of killing in virtual worlds.  We are surprised, however, when real people pick up real guns and attack the innocent. 

In the same Star Trek movie Dr. McCoy states that “Human life is far too precious to risk on crazy stunts” when Kirk almost kills himself trying to free ascend El Capitan.  I submit that we have lost the understanding of just how precious every life is.  I will not delve into this too deeply but it is necessary for us to regain the value of life before we will stop taking it from others. 

Currently we ignore killing on a mass scale when it is far enough away.  We tolerate injustice in other countries to save on petrol and obtain cheap consumer products.  We value life until it truly inconveniences us to do so.  Yet, we say it is too much when it is a man with a gun in a school.  I submit that it is too much when it is a child in the womb, a homeless veteran sleeping in the cold, or refugee in another country where we barter aid for power. 

Until we face that our disregard for life is a significant part of our poorer selves, taking away the guns will not stop the deaths.  I am not in favor of weapons designed to kill humans at any level.  It is not what we are designed to be doing.  We have, however, built violence toward each other into our nature.  We fail to love each other as we are supposed to love.

I used to be a very violent and angry person.  It is only through faith and following Christ that I have found that I no longer need these things.  I still struggle with the angry selfish part of my nature.  I suppose I will all my life.  I cannot commit violence and claim to love others.  It seems once again Dear Reader that we are what needs to change.  We are what needs to be different. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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