A family member in America tells me that the U.S. media is in a frenzy over the country’s latest shooting massacre, in which 20 young children were riddled with dozens and dozens of bullets from a semiautomatic rifle on Friday at their school. I’m not surprised: I am a journalist, after all, and American-born, although the greater part of my life has been spent in France, so I know something about how the press works, and something about how America works. No, I’m not surprised, but I am saddened.
It occurred to me, I said, that if Americans could somehow collectively leap out of their country and look at themselves from afar, they would be horrified at what they saw.
Americans believe obsessively in what they call « freedom, » but it looks more and more like they’ve lost sight of what freedom means.
They call their country « the land of the free » and « the home of the brave. » But how can owning and carrying weapons be cherished as a fundamental freedom? What’s brave about that?
Where is the freedom and bravery in arming oneself?
And by clinging to the illusory belief that « I » need never-ending protection against the endlessly threatening « you, » where is the freedom? And where is the freedom in the resulting murders and massacres?
Americans love to say, « It’s a free country! » But is it?
Where’s the freedom in the land of the free?
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À propos de l'auteur : zenscribe
Enseignante Zen et poète, Sensei Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell est née et a grandi à Minneapolis, aux Etats-Unis. Arrivée en France en 1981 pour étudier la littérature et l’histoire, elle y est restée, s’installant à Paris, où elle élève ses deux enfants et gagne sa vie en tant que journaliste.
The Zen teacher and poet Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell Sensei was born and raised in Minneapolis, but came to France in 1981 to study literature and history and has lived in Paris ever since, raising her two children and making a living as a journalist.
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and there is nothing so easy to trigger then fear…
in all of us???
so it is easy for the lobby
and it is easy to promote "male-hood" by weapons
indeed courrage is something else
…ways of protecting fear???
It is easy to judge it. But from where does this come?
Not only from the weapon lobby?
Maybe really from western/cowboy genes?
Maybe from the wide landscapes in wich people feel even more vulnerable and small? People are more fysicaly reminded of primair survival? Also becouse of no real social or healthcare – life is more raw?
The myth of freedom of the individual. The american dream – to be able to "make"??? it!? The atmosphere of "heroes" and "loosers". Of protecting your chanses "against" the other? One has "to make it".
One could say a testosteron – society – not in balance with oestrogen?
it is maybe the same thing why so much Americans are against social healthcare?
A solution can only come by real insight in the problem?
it is a fearfull country for sure.
over here they said on the news there are more weapon stores in the USA then Mac Donalds…
nicely put ….
but:
where do we hide?
we can hide behind autonomy… in extreme ways – talking about freedom – showing agression or its symbols… or using it to hide our fear…
we can hide behind connecting…. not daring to express aggression – being victims – to hide our fear…
where do we hide?
i guess it is clear for the whole world balance is completely lost in this matter.
how many generations of cowboy-western genetical material to go???