As our numbed grief gives way to anger and debates wage over gun control, I must pause and question, “What is at the root of terrorism”? Leaders are finally acknowledging white domestic terrorism and are willing to accept mental illness as blame. And while I do not doubt the illness of individuals who carry out horrendous crimes against humanity, it seems a futile gesture to simply blame guns and video games when our entire society is riddled with sickness.
Genocide and “might is right” have plagued this country from its inception. The ideals of the melting pot and “Give me your tired, your poor…” are unfinished tasks left to weary generations. But these observations do not answer the question, “What is the root of terrorism?”
What belief, what social construct allows a human being to hold himself or herself above another? What confused thinking has replaced human decency? What is the root of this disease?
In traditional healing of indigenous cultures, disease is not thought to be isolated to an individual. It is communally shared. Perhaps this should be a starting point as we reel from white domestic terrorism and seek solutions.
We have inherited a mindset, it is patriarchal in nature, it is controlling in its manifestation, and it is kept in place by fear. None of us are exempt from this mental disease. Some people function better than others in its wake, but none of us are immune.
What arises when the promises of this mindset are not granted or attained? Resentment of others and unfounded fear take root.
Fear driving people to have automated guns and violence taught in video games are sinister. But they are symptoms, not the cause.
If we want to see an end to white domestic terrorism, we need to eradicate the patriarchy that breeds it.
Driving home from WDRT where I recorded this piece on white domestic terrorism, I heard this song, “Times’s Up” by Song Suffragettes and decided it was an appropriate title and an important message.
Photo by Maryam Hassan. Thank you!
let kindness win 