From: William Gerhard
Scipio
We are treating the symptom of violence rather than treating the problem of the disease of fear, anger, and distrust.
The country is in turmoil and the media giants are having a heyday stirring it up and making news.
News such as this sells papers, but just what was the issue that provoked a planned expression of the freedom to demonstrate and speak out on a political issue into a riot and assault on the capital?
Fortunately, we have many politicians and news commentators to point fingers of blame at the president and his followers.
So, where are we now?
In reality, little has changed. The issues of anger and distrust are still there and the status quo has been restored.
This assault on our freedom ended almost as fast as it started — unlike many demonstrations across the country that turned into violence that lasted days and weeks.
Violence and rioting are a symptom of deep-rooted problems. Not unlike a youngster that is bullied at school and takes a weapon and assaults their tormentors.
Stopping the anger does little to solve problem.
America, without question, is the greatest bastion of freedom in the world.
This does not imply that we are perfect and right in all we do, or in the direction political winds may move us at the moment.
The issues that provoked riots this past year and the assault on the Capitol this past week are not that dissimilar.
The institutions of government have ignored needs and not understood issues, which has led to a lack of trust affecting one or more segments of society and the governing officials.
We are all touched by and moved to act on, or ignore, different issues. What they all have in common is they are often express in a statistical Six Sigma bell curve, with xtreme nationalist right on one side and extreme socialist left on the other. Then you have the more moderate left and right segments and the majority in the middle.
We have many issues of contention across the country: police brutality, institutional racism, prejudices, political corruption, and just a general distrust of people in authority.
The disease is not violence — that is a symptom. The disease is distrust, prejudice, anger, and hate.
Only when we decide enough is enough and attack the disease itself will we have peace.
Only by sitting down at a round table that has no sides and equal contributors working to address the problems and change the hearts of all involved will find a cure for this disease plaguing America.
Compassion and compromise are the pill and panacea that are often hard to take.
