I have been diagnosed with PTSD (and prolly some other stuff).
‘As a result I’ve had to surrender my firearms because (‘you know…)
As soon as they were out of my possession, I have observed that I am no longer plagued with violent ideations or contingencies where I might have to use them.
‘Frees up my mind for a new view of the world as I would have it be and all the tiny little tasks that bring me to that as reality. (Hoping this makes a bit of sense). Cheers
As usual you lead with peace in your heart and wisdom on your mind, Marianne. We can only hope and pray that gradually, over time, that enough people in this country and in the greater community, will come to the same conclusions and then together start to solve the most critical challenges of our time - gun and other violence, climate change, and human rights - and make this a world that God has always intended for us to live in.
Agreed Lynn! I even question the concept of having a "President"--it seems too much power in one person that can do a lot of damage or that person can be terribly harmed by those perceiving them wrong; i.e. assassinations. We would be better served by having rotating leaders of our cabinet who can bring their specific talents to work for the common good, based on the concerns of the day. Or something better than we have now for goverance.
Yes!yes!yes! Marianne we and our earth need your words, acumen, and what you radiate into the space. I'm behind you girl all the way.. I know this is a huge ask at this time but you have the potency that is desperately needed know.
The gun lobby is only secondary in this latest tragedy. It's the media. Hollywood with its shootem-up, car-chases, explosions...all in "living" color and full of excitement by the unlimited minute. How does this effect young minds and psyches?
We are currently experiencing the latter days of the Age of Pisces and also of Kali Yuga.
American culture is totally dysfunctional. Broken homes and divorces galore. Kids making kids. This is a terminally ill society. Too many American's never experience the true reality of life in the natural world, with birds, butterflies and the sweet whisperings of a May springtime, here in the Northwoods of Minnesota where one can experience a peace which passes all understanding, on the part of those condemned to the rat-race in our self-destructive megalopoli.
Yes, mine is an indictment of an over-post-industrialized, hyper-urban society where spiritual values are deluged by "Spend big money at Menard'$" and for today only its just nine-ninety-nine-ninety-nine-ninety-nine. Material Girls all over the place dating wounded-weenie boys whose only thoughts are their next conquests, their favorite sports teams and winning the wars in gamer fantasy-worlds.
Wake up and sniff the roses America. Guns are merely a symptom of mental and emotional unbalance. What was messed up in that young Latino Texan's life? What horrors did he ingest along with his morning sugar Frosted Flakes? What was the portrait of his family life? Was his existence totally loveless and without hope or comfort? Was he on medications happily provided by highly profitable Big Pharma?
I have to agree with this synopsis of what ails us more than Marianne's. Let me explain. I preempt this by saying I work in holistic mental healthcare and have a son who is mentally ill. I've seen psychosis up close. I have often thought about this issue. Regarding profit, gun manufacturers clearly make far far more money through war than through civilian sales. Civilian sales are petty cash for them. I belive 33 billion was just slated in the US. for Ukraine aide - presumably largely arms and ammunition. But where do these guns go after war? I reiterate don't think this is a civilian gun problem. The industrial military complex needs to be scrutinized but civilian sales are not the reason for the horrible crimes we're seeing in the U.S.. I'm in a small rural community in Canada. I think most people here own guns. I don't. Guns are used here for hunting and protection in nature and nothing more. Everyone accepts that. Children don't play with them or go into schools to harm others with them. After how our government handled COVID it's clear to me why civilians want the right to bear arms. We were victims of forced medical experiments here and lost many of our liberties for not consenting. Arguable for profit. My question here is WHY are so many if our youth mentally ill? So unstable? Hollywood for certain is implicated, and broken homes. But there's more to it. I believe our transition to chemical based agriculture and food processing have deeply impacted the mental health of our nation's. And the same companies who poison us with these 'foods' turn around and profit obscenely from patented drugs to suppress the symptoms of the damage. This is where healing needs to come. This is the greed we need to be shining a light on. If they don't capture our money with mental health medication they get it with diabetes meds or cancer treatments. It's criminal. But I really don't believe removing guns from the hands of civilians will make society safer. I think the pathology is deeper than that. Profit driven, yes. But much more subversive and systemic.
Indeed, there are numerous ways humanity is being destructive towards others, itself, and Mother Earth too. It will take a collective, massive mindshift to resolve the suffering and have folks realize the 'other' is no other! Until then, folks, its a crap shoot, but we must do our best to help evolve ourselves to higher levels of consciousness that have a positive impact on those around us--we are not separate beings. It's our choice--more vital than ever for well being on Earth.
I so agree Carstie. As we move further & further away from God’s good earth, we become more & more hard. (I experienced this living in the NYC suburbs). It becomes difficult to maintain a connection to Spirit. After moving away from the area with my husband & youngest child, we found life to be more peaceful & less “hard”.
I also get so very upset with the movies that large studios are making & the actors who agree/choose to be part of them. If the actors, who speak out against violence (of which there are many), said “No” to acting in the violent films, the studio executives could not produce them.
And families… our culture does not support them. The ego is valued instead of Holy Spirt & Love being esteemed. We have tried to find love “in all the wrong places” and are therefore falling apart as individuals and as a society. Our families are microcosms of what is going on in our world, and the US, of which I very much respect, is not doing well in keeping Love as a focal point.
We desperately need to start with ourselves, which will therefore spread to our family & friends and then continue to spread to towns, cities, countries & world. This, of course also means that it it will effect our government. Let’s vote for human beings who are wanting to find common ground, reach across “the aisles” that we’ve brought about and not simply (lazily?) vote in the ones that insist that their way is the only way because this does not foster conversation & seeing ea other as another human who solely wants the best for our nation, as misguided as we may think s/he is. No matter what our political leanings, if we see we have a representative or future representative (even if we don’t agree with all that’s being espoused) who is willing to speak with another with respect solely because s/he knows we’re all children of God & therefore are interconnected and loved, we should be So willing to get him/her into office, because this can bring about peace & sanity in our governing bodies. This is what we all want. And we can help bring it about one seedling at a time.
Thank you Marianne and all those who took the time to respond that furthers the discussion of this very difficult & complex issue.
Therese, your comments are wise. The big challenge is getting folks to change their mindset from fear and separation that causes domination, competition, violence, etc. to love, compassion, co-creation, collaboration, and forgiveness--to name a few positive behavioral traits needing quick adoption. The second, even bigger challenge is having our personal transformations spread to those around us--there are glimmers of hope as many see what's happening as excruciating; so, let's hope the madness ends! It takes a village as human development icon Dr. Jean Houston advised former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The focus must switch from me to we to regain coherence, sanity on Earth. Peace to you and all herein!
Hi Carstie, I live in Minnesota too--in Red Wing, along the Mississippi. We are striving here to work on social equity and mental health issues as well as the climate emergency too. But your words ring true regarding the present macro view of life. What needs to happen is for people to realize we are all in this boat together in order to thrive--hate, dominance, power, competition, manipulation, and numerous other maladaptive ways must cease!
Please kiss a pink LadySlipper orchid for me if you see one! Peace. Joan
As a call taker on the Crisis Lines, I met a 31 year old survivor of the Colorado massacre. The only call I ever took in 3 1/2 years who actually had a gun in her hand when she called me. She presented the image of something I cannot rest until someone sheds light on it: in the 17 years after that shooting, she lost more friends to suicide than she did during the event, including her very best friend who survived beside her inside of a cabinet in the library. Imagine now, you are the Parent waiting for the news of your child after one of these events. By the grace of God, your child survives. The sickening truth is that you’ve been delivered a child, who through no fault of their own, has been severely traumatized and now faces the uncertain future in a Country where Mental Health Care is completely dismissed. WE are creating tens of thousands of victims from the apathy we have collectively chosen when it comes to these important issues. On “that” day, my caller and I made a viable plan and she reached out to her Father. Of course we weep for the deceased victims and their families of these horrid events. Without change and intervention however, the survivors, silent victims, have just entered the gates of Hell. Please, please, please have someone shine light on this issue and pray just as fervently for they and their loved ones.
"The mental health issue that belongs to all of us"
That's very true but what is the connection between the ownership or access to anything and the use to which it is put, what difference does the legal position make?
I live in a country with very strict gun, actually gun owner, licensure, guns must be kept in police inspected gun safes with ammunition stored seperately, the class of weapons that are legal is very narrow even to the extent of air rifles, pistols have to be multi coloured, knives are only legal with a blade shorter than 4" and a folding blade must not lock, a series of "ammnestys" withdrew vast volumes of perfectly legally held and used weapons years ago, the criminal use firearms and edged weapons is increasingly exponentially and the presence of meantal instability is a common factor.
My undestanding of the Uvalde assailant is that he had been quite explict about his intention to casue harm some twelve months earlier, he actually told his teachers and his supposed documented agenda or manifesto is clearly the work of a mentally unstable young man and yet nobody took any action, the call for disarmament is understandable, what we have allowed to evolve is a widespread society where people have no sense of purpose, no capacity for an independent life and which has despised all sense of morals and values, "Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad".
We can't expect the fundamental shift to come from government, ANY government pretty much other than some of those few most villified, governments are mere mouth pieces and facilitators and do not serve us but rather the massive vested interests that put them in office, we the people are the target of social destruction which has it s roots in both communism and cartel capitalism, it's up to us to bring about root and branch change.
Plus, David, I think there are numerous problems beyond governance and econonmic sytems too--most of our institutions need to be restructered to be just, inclusive, and compassionately healing: Thrivable practices instead of competitive ones that separate one from another--a major flaw in our collective mindset. Your right: it's up to the people!
In Hobart Tasmania, Australia 1996, there was a massacre in which 35 people were shot and killed and 23 others injured. The Government immediately introduced strict gun control laws. There has not been another one in Australia since. A Course in Miracles teaches that a problem needs to solved at its source. It teaches all the principles needed to transform ourselves and the world. We must transform ourselves and then children would be brought up in love based thinking, not fear/ego based thinking. Children brought up in love do not grow up to abuse and harm others. We have a lot of work of work to do!
ACIM Work Book Lesson 135 'If I defend myself I am attacked,' has a huge amount to say on this topic, including, "Let no defences but your present trust direct your future, and this life becomes a meaningful encounter with the truth that only defences would conceal." "Without defences, you become a light Heaven gratefully acknowledges to be its own. You give up nothing in these times today when undefended you present yourself to your Creator as you really are." Time for everyone to lay the weapons down.
“Yet when it comes to short term profit for gun manufacturers, the right of such companies to make money tramples all over the right of an American parent to feel safe sending their children to school each day … we need to replace almost every lawmaker who gets a rating from the NRA that is other than an F.” ... Well written ... What we seem to be lacking is BACKBONE!
Thank you for these words in a moment where there seems to be no words to name the horror. I appreciate your ability to state the problem of our collective insanity and urge us to act toward health and wholeness. I appreciate your compassionate prayer for those parents and families.
FATHER HOLY GOD… FORGIVE US, FOR WE, COLLECTIVELY, KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO & ARE DOING TO OURSELVES. Love, Light, Peace & much JOY is GREATLY needed, AMEN!
Marianne: You said it all here: "Outsized greed is a mental health issue. A sociopathic economic system that puts money before people is a mental issue. A society that sacrifices its children for the sake of corporate profits is a mental health issue. Yes, the shooter had a mental health problem. But he was only reflecting a larger one. Every time we take any action private or public that lacks compassion or mercy, we are perpetuating the madness." That includes our latest, now proxy war too, where profiteering is rampant--how about those saying this can go on for years! Yeah, I see those defense industry contractors licking their lips!
I have been diagnosed with PTSD (and prolly some other stuff).
‘As a result I’ve had to surrender my firearms because (‘you know…)
As soon as they were out of my possession, I have observed that I am no longer plagued with violent ideations or contingencies where I might have to use them.
‘Frees up my mind for a new view of the world as I would have it be and all the tiny little tasks that bring me to that as reality. (Hoping this makes a bit of sense). Cheers
I applaud your honesty, Frank. Also, I’m astounded by it because it’s so rare.
Wow Frank! This is beautiful and a great reminder of the unnecessary energy behind having and keeping weapons. Our soul knows better!
Always a voice for sanity..Thank you MW
As usual you lead with peace in your heart and wisdom on your mind, Marianne. We can only hope and pray that gradually, over time, that enough people in this country and in the greater community, will come to the same conclusions and then together start to solve the most critical challenges of our time - gun and other violence, climate change, and human rights - and make this a world that God has always intended for us to live in.
Please, throw your hat into the ring and run for office again Marianne. The planet needs you.
Thinking...
We have your back and although I wouldn't wish you the insults and the disrespect you endured, your principles are our guiding light. We love you
It is absolutely a tough ask...
Agreed Lynn! I even question the concept of having a "President"--it seems too much power in one person that can do a lot of damage or that person can be terribly harmed by those perceiving them wrong; i.e. assassinations. We would be better served by having rotating leaders of our cabinet who can bring their specific talents to work for the common good, based on the concerns of the day. Or something better than we have now for goverance.
Yes!yes!yes! Marianne we and our earth need your words, acumen, and what you radiate into the space. I'm behind you girl all the way.. I know this is a huge ask at this time but you have the potency that is desperately needed know.
I meant now, oops.
Hi Marianne,
I'm a relatively new member. Please keep up the good work. I'm spending as much time as I can to get caught up on your writings.
The gun lobby is only secondary in this latest tragedy. It's the media. Hollywood with its shootem-up, car-chases, explosions...all in "living" color and full of excitement by the unlimited minute. How does this effect young minds and psyches?
We are currently experiencing the latter days of the Age of Pisces and also of Kali Yuga.
American culture is totally dysfunctional. Broken homes and divorces galore. Kids making kids. This is a terminally ill society. Too many American's never experience the true reality of life in the natural world, with birds, butterflies and the sweet whisperings of a May springtime, here in the Northwoods of Minnesota where one can experience a peace which passes all understanding, on the part of those condemned to the rat-race in our self-destructive megalopoli.
Yes, mine is an indictment of an over-post-industrialized, hyper-urban society where spiritual values are deluged by "Spend big money at Menard'$" and for today only its just nine-ninety-nine-ninety-nine-ninety-nine. Material Girls all over the place dating wounded-weenie boys whose only thoughts are their next conquests, their favorite sports teams and winning the wars in gamer fantasy-worlds.
Wake up and sniff the roses America. Guns are merely a symptom of mental and emotional unbalance. What was messed up in that young Latino Texan's life? What horrors did he ingest along with his morning sugar Frosted Flakes? What was the portrait of his family life? Was his existence totally loveless and without hope or comfort? Was he on medications happily provided by highly profitable Big Pharma?
I have to agree with this synopsis of what ails us more than Marianne's. Let me explain. I preempt this by saying I work in holistic mental healthcare and have a son who is mentally ill. I've seen psychosis up close. I have often thought about this issue. Regarding profit, gun manufacturers clearly make far far more money through war than through civilian sales. Civilian sales are petty cash for them. I belive 33 billion was just slated in the US. for Ukraine aide - presumably largely arms and ammunition. But where do these guns go after war? I reiterate don't think this is a civilian gun problem. The industrial military complex needs to be scrutinized but civilian sales are not the reason for the horrible crimes we're seeing in the U.S.. I'm in a small rural community in Canada. I think most people here own guns. I don't. Guns are used here for hunting and protection in nature and nothing more. Everyone accepts that. Children don't play with them or go into schools to harm others with them. After how our government handled COVID it's clear to me why civilians want the right to bear arms. We were victims of forced medical experiments here and lost many of our liberties for not consenting. Arguable for profit. My question here is WHY are so many if our youth mentally ill? So unstable? Hollywood for certain is implicated, and broken homes. But there's more to it. I believe our transition to chemical based agriculture and food processing have deeply impacted the mental health of our nation's. And the same companies who poison us with these 'foods' turn around and profit obscenely from patented drugs to suppress the symptoms of the damage. This is where healing needs to come. This is the greed we need to be shining a light on. If they don't capture our money with mental health medication they get it with diabetes meds or cancer treatments. It's criminal. But I really don't believe removing guns from the hands of civilians will make society safer. I think the pathology is deeper than that. Profit driven, yes. But much more subversive and systemic.
Indeed, there are numerous ways humanity is being destructive towards others, itself, and Mother Earth too. It will take a collective, massive mindshift to resolve the suffering and have folks realize the 'other' is no other! Until then, folks, its a crap shoot, but we must do our best to help evolve ourselves to higher levels of consciousness that have a positive impact on those around us--we are not separate beings. It's our choice--more vital than ever for well being on Earth.
I so agree Carstie. As we move further & further away from God’s good earth, we become more & more hard. (I experienced this living in the NYC suburbs). It becomes difficult to maintain a connection to Spirit. After moving away from the area with my husband & youngest child, we found life to be more peaceful & less “hard”.
I also get so very upset with the movies that large studios are making & the actors who agree/choose to be part of them. If the actors, who speak out against violence (of which there are many), said “No” to acting in the violent films, the studio executives could not produce them.
And families… our culture does not support them. The ego is valued instead of Holy Spirt & Love being esteemed. We have tried to find love “in all the wrong places” and are therefore falling apart as individuals and as a society. Our families are microcosms of what is going on in our world, and the US, of which I very much respect, is not doing well in keeping Love as a focal point.
We desperately need to start with ourselves, which will therefore spread to our family & friends and then continue to spread to towns, cities, countries & world. This, of course also means that it it will effect our government. Let’s vote for human beings who are wanting to find common ground, reach across “the aisles” that we’ve brought about and not simply (lazily?) vote in the ones that insist that their way is the only way because this does not foster conversation & seeing ea other as another human who solely wants the best for our nation, as misguided as we may think s/he is. No matter what our political leanings, if we see we have a representative or future representative (even if we don’t agree with all that’s being espoused) who is willing to speak with another with respect solely because s/he knows we’re all children of God & therefore are interconnected and loved, we should be So willing to get him/her into office, because this can bring about peace & sanity in our governing bodies. This is what we all want. And we can help bring it about one seedling at a time.
Thank you Marianne and all those who took the time to respond that furthers the discussion of this very difficult & complex issue.
Therese, your comments are wise. The big challenge is getting folks to change their mindset from fear and separation that causes domination, competition, violence, etc. to love, compassion, co-creation, collaboration, and forgiveness--to name a few positive behavioral traits needing quick adoption. The second, even bigger challenge is having our personal transformations spread to those around us--there are glimmers of hope as many see what's happening as excruciating; so, let's hope the madness ends! It takes a village as human development icon Dr. Jean Houston advised former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The focus must switch from me to we to regain coherence, sanity on Earth. Peace to you and all herein!
Hi Carstie, I live in Minnesota too--in Red Wing, along the Mississippi. We are striving here to work on social equity and mental health issues as well as the climate emergency too. But your words ring true regarding the present macro view of life. What needs to happen is for people to realize we are all in this boat together in order to thrive--hate, dominance, power, competition, manipulation, and numerous other maladaptive ways must cease!
Please kiss a pink LadySlipper orchid for me if you see one! Peace. Joan
Thank you, thank you, and God bless!
🙏🙏🙏
As a call taker on the Crisis Lines, I met a 31 year old survivor of the Colorado massacre. The only call I ever took in 3 1/2 years who actually had a gun in her hand when she called me. She presented the image of something I cannot rest until someone sheds light on it: in the 17 years after that shooting, she lost more friends to suicide than she did during the event, including her very best friend who survived beside her inside of a cabinet in the library. Imagine now, you are the Parent waiting for the news of your child after one of these events. By the grace of God, your child survives. The sickening truth is that you’ve been delivered a child, who through no fault of their own, has been severely traumatized and now faces the uncertain future in a Country where Mental Health Care is completely dismissed. WE are creating tens of thousands of victims from the apathy we have collectively chosen when it comes to these important issues. On “that” day, my caller and I made a viable plan and she reached out to her Father. Of course we weep for the deceased victims and their families of these horrid events. Without change and intervention however, the survivors, silent victims, have just entered the gates of Hell. Please, please, please have someone shine light on this issue and pray just as fervently for they and their loved ones.
"The mental health issue that belongs to all of us"
That's very true but what is the connection between the ownership or access to anything and the use to which it is put, what difference does the legal position make?
I live in a country with very strict gun, actually gun owner, licensure, guns must be kept in police inspected gun safes with ammunition stored seperately, the class of weapons that are legal is very narrow even to the extent of air rifles, pistols have to be multi coloured, knives are only legal with a blade shorter than 4" and a folding blade must not lock, a series of "ammnestys" withdrew vast volumes of perfectly legally held and used weapons years ago, the criminal use firearms and edged weapons is increasingly exponentially and the presence of meantal instability is a common factor.
My undestanding of the Uvalde assailant is that he had been quite explict about his intention to casue harm some twelve months earlier, he actually told his teachers and his supposed documented agenda or manifesto is clearly the work of a mentally unstable young man and yet nobody took any action, the call for disarmament is understandable, what we have allowed to evolve is a widespread society where people have no sense of purpose, no capacity for an independent life and which has despised all sense of morals and values, "Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad".
We can't expect the fundamental shift to come from government, ANY government pretty much other than some of those few most villified, governments are mere mouth pieces and facilitators and do not serve us but rather the massive vested interests that put them in office, we the people are the target of social destruction which has it s roots in both communism and cartel capitalism, it's up to us to bring about root and branch change.
Plus, David, I think there are numerous problems beyond governance and econonmic sytems too--most of our institutions need to be restructered to be just, inclusive, and compassionately healing: Thrivable practices instead of competitive ones that separate one from another--a major flaw in our collective mindset. Your right: it's up to the people!
In Hobart Tasmania, Australia 1996, there was a massacre in which 35 people were shot and killed and 23 others injured. The Government immediately introduced strict gun control laws. There has not been another one in Australia since. A Course in Miracles teaches that a problem needs to solved at its source. It teaches all the principles needed to transform ourselves and the world. We must transform ourselves and then children would be brought up in love based thinking, not fear/ego based thinking. Children brought up in love do not grow up to abuse and harm others. We have a lot of work of work to do!
ACIM Work Book Lesson 135 'If I defend myself I am attacked,' has a huge amount to say on this topic, including, "Let no defences but your present trust direct your future, and this life becomes a meaningful encounter with the truth that only defences would conceal." "Without defences, you become a light Heaven gratefully acknowledges to be its own. You give up nothing in these times today when undefended you present yourself to your Creator as you really are." Time for everyone to lay the weapons down.
“Yet when it comes to short term profit for gun manufacturers, the right of such companies to make money tramples all over the right of an American parent to feel safe sending their children to school each day … we need to replace almost every lawmaker who gets a rating from the NRA that is other than an F.” ... Well written ... What we seem to be lacking is BACKBONE!
Thank you for these words in a moment where there seems to be no words to name the horror. I appreciate your ability to state the problem of our collective insanity and urge us to act toward health and wholeness. I appreciate your compassionate prayer for those parents and families.
FATHER HOLY GOD… FORGIVE US, FOR WE, COLLECTIVELY, KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO & ARE DOING TO OURSELVES. Love, Light, Peace & much JOY is GREATLY needed, AMEN!
THANK YOU LORD JESUS CHRIST💗
Marianne: You said it all here: "Outsized greed is a mental health issue. A sociopathic economic system that puts money before people is a mental issue. A society that sacrifices its children for the sake of corporate profits is a mental health issue. Yes, the shooter had a mental health problem. But he was only reflecting a larger one. Every time we take any action private or public that lacks compassion or mercy, we are perpetuating the madness." That includes our latest, now proxy war too, where profiteering is rampant--how about those saying this can go on for years! Yeah, I see those defense industry contractors licking their lips!
Below is the site MW referenced to check their NRA ratings
Great, Patty, this is very useful--too bad it exists at all. I appreciate your help.