A sad Friday story in Newtown

My assignment is to write a post about business, but the elementary school massacre in Newtown on this Friday, the 14.12.12. has broken my heart. Innocent children were killed and what kind of Christmas present is that for those affected parents? It makes me cry and think about firearms in our society. In the US media everybody is discussing about stricter gun control laws and at this point it is also a business issue.

I have found this very interesting article about the thriving gun industry in the US and the currently weak economic cannot surrender this important area.

“The National Shooting Sports Foundation says the economic impact of firearm sales — a figure that includes jobs. taxes and sales — hit $31 billion in 2011, up from $19 billion in 2008.”

The two faced gun

I do not think banning guns or having gun control laws like in Germany would solve the problem with all those senseless homicides. We should be more attentive to our fellow men and listen to them more often. Rabbi Lerner confirms my point of view:

“Banning all guns is necessary but NOT sufficient in light of the increasing violence in our society. We need a fundamental transformation as well as banning guns. Otherwise, we will now revert to the normal debate between liberals wanting more gun control and conservatives saying that it’s not guns that kill, but people. Both are right.”

Listen

It reminds me of a very famous quote by the artist Marilyn Manson in the movie “Bowling for Columbine” by Michael Moore in 2002.

Michael Moore: If you were to talk directly to the kids at Columbine or the people in that community, what would you say to them if they were here right now?

Marilyn Manson: I wouldn’t say a single word to them I would listen to what they have to say, and that’s what no one did.

Since that movie I have changed my mind about Marilyn Manson and understood his way of expressing himself in his music and art better. We are all some kind of lost souls at times and living in a good connected world thanks to the Internet actually means no complaints about being alone anymore. But it is not an old problem, it the same one. We should change our behavior and take down our shallow “I-don’t-care- about-anybody-but-me” mask.

My favorite verse from the bible: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Of course, you cannot get along well with everyone, but being fair and considerate is a question of good character. I do not know what was really going on in the head of the shooter, but if someone had listened to his emotional chaos, the sad Friday story in Newtown would not have happened.

PS. I do not want to use any pictures for this post. Hopefully you understand me.