This was actually the article which started me writing what I call A Gay Opinion. I just found the entire concept of singling out the loners, and the kids who were teased and called faggot or gay to be another cause of violence. The authority figures, the adults, weren't looking for a way of stopping this from happening again, they were looking for a scapegoat. Homosexuality, or the hint of it, was a good start. They followed it up with Paganism. After the events of Columbine, a opinion comic ran in the local newspaper, showing three witches, ala a scene from Macbeth, stirring hate and descent into a cauldron with the name Columbine written on it.
It seems to me, the authority figures are the ones spreading hate.
Columbine
A Gay Opinion 4/23/99
by R.A. Melos
A tragedy, an accident, a disaster. These are words I've heard to describe
the events which took place in Littleton Co. on 4/20/99.
Yes, I agree it was all those things and worse. However, as a pagan believing
events happen (even bad ones) for a reason, I am coming to the conclusion we,
as a race of people, are missing something of great importance.
In my pagan studies, I came across a theory simply stated, events happen in
cycles. If you ignore the event it will occur again on a stronger level. I feel
we must be ignoring some spiritual message, since the event of high school shootings
has become a recurring theme over the past few years.
Okay, that was the easy part. Now, I have to admit, I have no clue what it is
we, as the human race, seems to be ignoring. Well, actually, I find it hard
to narrow it down to one thing.
In recent history, the American President has shown us it's okay to lie, cheat,
and who knows what else. Parents accepted this, the government accepted this,
everyone seems to have accepted this. In the past high school shootings each
shooter was described as an outcast. It was stated in each case that these were
the people who were teased and taunted by fellow students. Obviously these also
were the most sensitive of people who could break very easily.
Now I'm not saying what they did was right. What they did was very wrong and
they will suffer the bad karma in future lifetimes, and some in this lifetime.
However, I believe if these children had been shown love and acceptance from
their fellow humans, these events might not have taken place.
Of course love and acceptance would have to start at home as well. We have to
teach our children not to hate what isn't like them. There are many Matthew
Shepards in this world who do not deserve to be beaten to death because they
are gay. There are many smart, popular, talented students, male and female,
Mormon and Black, who do not deserve to be shot because they are Mormon or Black.
What we have to do is learn, as a world, to hate Hate. By hating Hate I mean
to reject it. In scientific terms two negatives make a positive. Let's turn
Hate into Love. Turn it into acceptance of one another. Start to teach our children
to embrace what is different from themselves. Embrace people who appear different
from yourself, and accept those differences. Stop hating because they are different.