Charlie Kirk's Assassination: More Than Our First Amendment Rights
I woke up this morning with a strange feeling in my heart and gut. Feelings that I really didn’t expect. The Charlie Kirk assassination - 9/11 anniversary - Colorado School Shooting - a refugee’s senselessly murder on a train… It all just hit me in a profound way when I woke up this morning. Things I want to say, but it’s difficult to articulate all of my feelings. The one that’s hitting me the hardest right now is Charlie Kirk… I gotta be honest, I was never that into Charlie. That’s not to say I disliked him. To me he was another social media guy who found a way to get views and likes by being controversial… You know, like a Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder or Jordan Peterson. Yes, his videos often found their way into my feed… Many I liked. I agree with a lot of what he had to say, however, I often found him to be a bit too religious, sometimes polarizing and in your face for my taste. I admired his boldness, courage and quick wittedness to get up there and debate like he did. I typically don’t have the capacity to think on my feet quite that fast, nor do I have the desire to debate like that, especially about politics. I often have difficulty quickly regurgitating facts or concisely communicating my thoughts on deeply weighted subjects (thus why this email will assuredly be longer and less articulate than both you and I would like it to be! =). |
State of Our Reality |
We’ve gotten used to brash behavior in our world today. Like it or not it’s what gets our attention. We live in what I call the era of the National Enquirer & “Reality” TV. Neither of these things are real, yet when we are fed such a constant stream of it, we begin to believe that it is. Our attention has been rotted by drama, polarization, propaganda and sensationalism. Our lives reek with the stench of the decay from the lies, the hate and dividedness. We pay the price every day. Yesterday, another person paid with his life. Charlie Kirk was killed for gaining the attention of the masses by having a different (be it strong) opinion that someone (groups of someone’s) did not like. It wasn’t so much that he had a different opinion that some people don’t like, it was because of he was popular, he attracted a lot of attention and was being herd. Because of these things he became more of an annoyance, by many he was seen as a threat. So, not unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, JFK and Donald Trump, someone wanted to silence him forcefully. Yes, I DID use all of those examples together in one place. Why?! It should be obvious my PeaceWalker friend… It’s because they are all similar regardless if you agree with any of them or hold some of them in higher relevance than others. Everyone of those people had threats against their life not only because of their views, but because they shared their perspectives with others and became popular… They had followings, they were all influencing masses of people and someone else didn’t like it… But rather than peacefully pushing back, someone decided to violently attempt to silence them. In this case and the case of most of the others on the list, the assailant was successful. |
Rooting for Your Team |
In these situations, if you like the person or see them as being on your side, you’re more likely to view the attack against them as wrong. However, if you didn’t like the person or what they stood for, you were less likely to react negatively—some might even say you thought what happened to them was good. I strongly caution you on these types feelings taken in extreme. Regardless if you like the views of someone or not it doesn’t make it right to kill them over peacefully voicing their perspective. I would also like to emphasize the word peacefully here. It’s “funny” how such a simple words like “peaceful” and “violence,” both of which have clear definitions, have gotten so twisted. Peaceful:
Naturally, when it comes to people debating hot topics the “peaceful” we would logically be referring to would be the second definition involving absence of war and violence. |
Violence:
Once again logically, you would defer to the first definition when referencing violence in this context. Why? Because when we debate something “peacefully” there still may be strong emotions and unpleasant feelings involved. So, in order to discuss hot topics and come to a mutual agreement or a respectful conclusion, feelings may be hurt, but don’t / shouldn’t lead to physical violence. Definitions matter folks. Be cautious when people begin altering, rewriting, interpreting or applying them differently. |
Connection to 9/11?! |
Not directly, although I’m sure some conspiracy theorists may make an argument for it. The connection that I see is two fold.
|
Where Rubber Meets the Road |
Here’s where it should hit home for you. Here’s where the rubber really meets the road for you PERSONALLY. Ok, so all of this sh*t is happening all around you… What are YOU going to do?! How are YOU going to make a difference and be a FORCE FOR GOOD?! In your job. In your relationships. In your Religion. In your actions. With your words. With everyone you meet. IN HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE EVERY DAY. |
This is WHY WE REALLY TRAIN!! THIS IS WHY I TEACH AND WRITE THESE INFERNAL EMAIL ALMOST EVERY DAAAAAAAY! We need more people who are clear, courageous, and skilled in being good leaders, being PROTECTORS OF LIFE… BEING PEACEWALKERS! |
Compassion?! |
I was just asked to process Charlie’s murder with someone who just now called me to talk. They asked: “How can we not demonize the person who did this or the groups that support it.” Simple: This act of killing was wrong. It was horrible and despisable. Evil. However… I feel empathy for the person who did it (and anyone or group who support it). I feel sad that because they felt so strongly, they could come to the decision to take a life over that person’s words or perspectives. My empathy wouldn’t prevent me from bringing the assailant to justice appropriately or protecting myself or others from them to the degree necessary under the circumstance. |
Get More Involved?! |
We need more people who have the clarity and skill to stand up in the face of these challenges before they hit critical mass. And the courage to take action when they do. Murderers on our trains. Shootings in our schools. Assassinations in our universities. Terrorist attacks on our country. What are YOU Going to do about any of it? One of the things that makes our PeaceWalker approach unique is that it we aren’t just training people to reactively defend themselves from these things… No! We are creating a MOVEMENT of people who actively know how to cultivate peace inside of themselves in order to PROACTIVELY prevent these things from happening in the first place… And when (these things) do happen (because they will), know how to respond in an appropriate manner to not only address the situation, but reduce the likelihood of doing more harm. This takes a very unique skill. One that isn’t learned in a meme or a video… or one or two seminars. It is something that you have to continue to cultivate, practice and LIVE! Oh, we think we’re so civilized, smart, courteous and compassionate that we have to post it on our social media sites, put signs outside of our houses and stickers on our cars… Actions speak louder than words, so let’s do a better job LIVING it and treating each other with the compassion and empathy we like to advertise so much. |
A Skill & Practice |
Here are some resources for you if you would like to live a safer, more Peaceful Life. Learn what to do when nice doesn’t work and more importantly learn to plant and cultivate those seeds of peace everywhere you go and with everyone you meet. PEACEWALKER CONNECT: https://peacewalker.mn.co
INNER CIRCLE: https://peacewalker.mn.co/
PEACEWALKER EVOLUTION: https://www.peacewalker.org/
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” |
Keep Going, ~Craig |
Comments
Post a Comment