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Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

No Blame, Just Focus (Day 216)

8/4/2019

 
Picture
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

​Right now, it’s difficult to write about “blame”. See, as of the time of writing this piece, within the last 24 hours both El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio have been the latest victims of what federal sources are calling domestic terrorism. My heart goes out to everyone negatively impacted by these most recent horrors that have, sadly, become all too commonplace in our nation’s story. Offerings have been made, and now I’m looking into what can be done to meet the other-than-spirit needs of those affected during this, our nation’s most shameful period. I just keep asking myself, what can be done? Who is to blame? Who is responsible?  

It’s pretty straightforward as to where the blame goes, right? The people who chose to pull the triggers, right? They’re to blame. 

Or is it the fact that the US is a nation that has a different relationship to firearms than other nations? Maybe it’s policy to blame, or the constitution? Or culture, itself. It’s the system that’s to blame. 

Well… now that I’m thinking about it, if there were no firearms at all, there would be no mass killings, right? It’s the gun manufacturers, right? They’re to... blame?

Complex problems have complex causality… and thus, will have complex solutions. 

Right about here I should be writing some pithy bit of badgery-wisdom or some such thing… but I’m getting nothing, really. 

I guess if our minds are spending all their “clever points” looking backwards and figuring out where the blame goes, it’ll be pretty hard to focus forward to see what can be done differently in the future (... and even that seems paltry in light of the sadness of the last 24 hours). 

Shucks… I don’t know, y’all. 

It takes focus and determination to get through the seemingly impossible. If you don’t believe me, read about the life of Nelson Mandela. 

These mass killings are the results of some deeper disease… 

… and if we focus too much on eradicating the illness, we forget the very real pain and suffering it’s host is going through. 

Focus, then, on what’s most sacred. 

(See y’all tomorrow)

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    About the Blog

    Awakening the desire to explore Stoicism, and how it relates to his existing beliefs, Rev. William committed to working through the text, The Daily Stoic, a year-long journey to awaken the Stoic mind. 
    How things are structured can be found in the first post. 

    About the Author

    Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rev. William attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where in 2007 he graduated with a degree in Religious Studies, minoring in Psychology. Currently residing in Longmont, CO, he is one of the Priests and founder of Mountain Ancestors Grove.  He spends his time playing mandolin (and some guitar), writing, engaging in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education, community service, and sharing a larger vision of how a polytheist perspective can lead to greater human understanding, acceptance, and gods be good, peace. 

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