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fear
September 2009 
Guns and Fear
Posted on Sep 8th, 2007
by 
Ferrari
Ferrari
A fellow zaadzter asked me to post to her web forum where she is discussing gun safety/control with mostly pro-gun advocates. I offered the following in case it might help take the conversation in a productive direction. I read a number of the posts, with all the various positions you can imagine, and basically......
Everyone is "right".
The problem is human mentality and a lack of spirituality - leading to the tyranny of the OR. That only this OR that can be right. Almost always not the case. Those who point out that if guns were illegal only the criminals would have guns are, logically, right. And those who point out that dictators and power-hungry leaders would love a disempowered citizenry are right. And those who hunt for substance or for fun are "right", for them. And those who strive to create a more peaceful society free of guns are right. Take a deeper look...everyone is wanting the same thing....security.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT GUNS! The problem is fear.
The problem is the violence in the human heart that comes from fear. I know a little about this, as I have trained in the martial arts for over 25 years. But if each individual transformed their fears into love, completely, and understood who they are, and understood who God is and how the material and spiritual realms work, they would have no fear. There have been a number of Master Teachers who have talked and WALKED this truth. Some are here on the planet now (and no, I am certainly not one of them).
Anyone with a complete love for creation, each other, and themselves would not, could not, use a gun. The idea of taking a gun and killing anything, man or beast, would make them sick. The scene with the hunter in "Powder" is a beautiful example of that. But most humans do not know who they are (as Jesus lamented, "Know ye not that ye are Gods?"). And so, humans do all kinds of destructive things out of their own fear.
Attempts to change each other's viewpoint through political and social means are a waste of time. Seriously. When was the last time you converted someone completely opposed to your viewpoint into your camp? That is because you can't change the foundation fear driving their viewpoint (e.g. I'm afraid the guys will think I'm a wimp if I don't hunt, I'm afraid I'll get shot, raped, etc., I'm afraid of political leaders or the government having too much power, I'm afraid that society is getting more violent and dark so more shootings will happen, so let's ban guns, and so on, and so on). The only person who can change my/your fears is me/you, and that can't be done by yourself. You need true spiritual teachers who can not just tell you, but SHOW you that God is real, there are deep spiritual mysteries, and one of those is that we, all of creation, are one. IF you KNEW this, you would not judge, kill, or try to impose your will. And if you knew you were eternal, why would you care about this body and this lifetime so much? You would be at peace, because you would know why you are here and that fear does not have to be part of the equation.
Yes, I realize that anyone pro-gun and/or anti-God will read this as pollyanna, idealistic nonsense. That is because it is easier to find fault outside than to find the fear inside. I pray that we can ALL have the courage to find and face our fears, transform them, and then walk into a totally different world. It is possible, I am watching it happen in my life and in the lives of others.....
Everyone is "right".
The problem is human mentality and a lack of spirituality - leading to the tyranny of the OR. That only this OR that can be right. Almost always not the case. Those who point out that if guns were illegal only the criminals would have guns are, logically, right. And those who point out that dictators and power-hungry leaders would love a disempowered citizenry are right. And those who hunt for substance or for fun are "right", for them. And those who strive to create a more peaceful society free of guns are right. Take a deeper look...everyone is wanting the same thing....security.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT GUNS! The problem is fear.
The problem is the violence in the human heart that comes from fear. I know a little about this, as I have trained in the martial arts for over 25 years. But if each individual transformed their fears into love, completely, and understood who they are, and understood who God is and how the material and spiritual realms work, they would have no fear. There have been a number of Master Teachers who have talked and WALKED this truth. Some are here on the planet now (and no, I am certainly not one of them).
Anyone with a complete love for creation, each other, and themselves would not, could not, use a gun. The idea of taking a gun and killing anything, man or beast, would make them sick. The scene with the hunter in "Powder" is a beautiful example of that. But most humans do not know who they are (as Jesus lamented, "Know ye not that ye are Gods?"). And so, humans do all kinds of destructive things out of their own fear.
Attempts to change each other's viewpoint through political and social means are a waste of time. Seriously. When was the last time you converted someone completely opposed to your viewpoint into your camp? That is because you can't change the foundation fear driving their viewpoint (e.g. I'm afraid the guys will think I'm a wimp if I don't hunt, I'm afraid I'll get shot, raped, etc., I'm afraid of political leaders or the government having too much power, I'm afraid that society is getting more violent and dark so more shootings will happen, so let's ban guns, and so on, and so on). The only person who can change my/your fears is me/you, and that can't be done by yourself. You need true spiritual teachers who can not just tell you, but SHOW you that God is real, there are deep spiritual mysteries, and one of those is that we, all of creation, are one. IF you KNEW this, you would not judge, kill, or try to impose your will. And if you knew you were eternal, why would you care about this body and this lifetime so much? You would be at peace, because you would know why you are here and that fear does not have to be part of the equation.
Yes, I realize that anyone pro-gun and/or anti-God will read this as pollyanna, idealistic nonsense. That is because it is easier to find fault outside than to find the fear inside. I pray that we can ALL have the courage to find and face our fears, transform them, and then walk into a totally different world. It is possible, I am watching it happen in my life and in the lives of others.....
Access: Public
My first Zaads blog post : Why I Don't Kill runs parallel to your story.
I enjoyed your piece. Well constructed and thought out. I agree completely that it is easier to find fault outside than to find the fear inside.
But you lost me on one point. Where you say: “Anyone with a complete love for creation, each other, and themselves would not, could not, use a gun. The idea of taking a gun and killing anything, man or beast, would make them sick. The scene with the hunter in (the movie) 'Powder' is a beautiful example of that.”
While I came to the very conclusion you suggest in your post, I do not assume that anyone with a complete love for creation could not use a gun. The movie Powder makes a compelling argument against the idea of killing animals, but alas it is still a movie with an agenda. You lost your non-bias attitude of saying they were all “right” in their various posititions on gun control when you aligned with the bias of the movie. What the movie does not address is the messy area of simple fishing or slaughtering cattle raised for beef and leather. To buy the point of the movie, you must be a moral vegetarian, assuming that any killing of animals is wrong. Although I suppose you could dance around that with supporting more humane forms of killing cattle that those used in current practise. And I certainly support that, as it puts fewer stress hormones into the meat we eat.
In the year following the release of the movie Bambie, deer herds ballooned around the country, causing more road kills and massive starvation due to limited resources. Hunting for better or worse is currently a part of our ecosystem. Putting a sudden end to killing all animals would dangerously upset that ecosystem, even if humans could all become vegetarian.
I have even been vegetarian at times in my life, but I found it did not support my health or my blood type (type O. See the book Eat Right For Your Type). I became vegetarian largely on moral grounds, and I had some real forgiveness work to do when I realized I could not sustain such a diet, regardless of how carefully I combined my foods.
Who knows? Maybe there is some deep spiritual truth to your conclusion, one to which I am not yet privy. But the logic of your argument is flawed. It is ironic that one of the most loving people I know is a prolific hunter, killing game for all the protein her family consumes.
As a recent student of ACIM (A Course in Miracles), I am more concerned about forgiving my projections of others than I am about controling their behaviors. I am more concerned about the holy instance of meeting someone than about creating new rules to live by. I want to see the face of Chirst in them more clearly than I see the face of ego. I seek the direction of the Holy Spirit in every interaction. And when I actually get it, great things seem to be happening. I know I cannot currently kill animals, and yet if the economy fell and I was required to hunt to survive, I would. I have forgiven most of those who hunt for pleasure, even if I do wonder about it at times.
To mangle an old adage, Guns don't kill people. I kill people, in the projection of my unconscious guilt which I thrust upon others. As I forgive them for the “terrible things” they do, I remember more clearly who I am and where I am (at one with God). And in that moment I offer both of us an opportunity for deep healing. That is the miracle. I am not opposed to social activism, but I do find it harder to engage in while learning to forgive everything. Perhaps I have simply not forgiven enough to get back up to activism.
I want to thank you for your thoughtful springboard. You have served me well.
Hi Sleve! Thanks so much for your response. You have helped me see 1) how important it is to stay conscious when I write blogs and 2) my projection and judgment around hunting. As to the point you raised, I really meant to say anyone who would kill animals for sport - which I would define as killing for the pleasure, the ego-thrill; when obtaining sustenance is not the need. And I hear your words about vegetarianism and blood type, I have read ERFYBT and know a bit about Ayurvedic and Taoist food concepts. And as an A+ blood type I should be mostly vegetarian with very little meat. So one hypocrisy that gave rise to my judgment and condemnation is that I still eat meat. I am working on limiting the portions, but still, I do eat it. So clearly animals must be killed for it. My wife, who is an incredibly loving and dedicated veterinarian, also eats meat, because she has found it is best for her health, as you described you discovered for yourself. But her love for animals is unquestionable; embrace the paradox.
So, I will own that my projection comes from the fear that some men will think me less of a man because I won't hunt animals or shoot people. So be it. And I will own that I believe that God's creation is here for us to use, and that if we are fully conscious and loving we will use it in a good way. The way the plains indians killed and used all parts of the bison and gave great thanks to the bison's spirit and the great spirit is perhaps a good example of how we need to kill animals and plants for our sustenance, and we can do so “in a good way”.
I will check out your blog post, as I like the title ;)
You have also served me well, thank you!
Mike
Hi Mike,
You wrote a very thoughtful piece indeed! I agree with your piece in its entirety, and I find it interesting that there was a time in my life when I definitely would've engaged in state-condoned violence – I'd been trained for combat and it wasn't an issue (though I think it would've been!!)
Peace is one of the highest things we can aspire to – and only by standing for peace and love and striving to be better people can we reduce (and one day eliminate) weapons and violence in Western society. Your piece is certainly not Polyanna'ish Mike – it's the enlightened truth.
All the best,
Andy