What a horrible act of senseless violence…
I’m sickened, horrified and saddened by the events in Aurora, Colorado early yesterday morning at the Batman movie midnight opening. What a shameful example of a human being the shooter is and what a shocking example of just how low our society has reached. It’s an abomination, pure and simple.
This is not the world I want my kids to be a part of – nor their children or their children’s children. I want a better world for them. I want a better America for them. As a parent, this massacre can’t be anymore contradictory to mine and my wife’s hopes and dreams for our eight children. It’s just so incredibly sad to witness so much hatred and disillusionment around us.
Perhaps it has always been like this – but I don’t think so – unless you go back to the days of feeding people to the lions and other long-gone barbaric practices. I thought we were a civilized culture now. I wanted to think we cared about each other. That we had evolved to a higher state where people treated people in a human and Christian way. But it seems that every day this ideal is less and less a reality.
It’s simply sad. But unfortunately it’s a reflection of the times we live in. The moral compass is off. Way off. We have lost our way on so many levels.
This got me thinking about the role of charities in the world and particularly in the United States.
Is it possible nonprofits are focused in the wrong direction? Well maybe not the wrong direction; but in a direction that isn’t quite as important as something else. I mean is it possible that we have missed the boat here? I don’t want to discount the good work and the lives that are impacted by wonderful charities in the USA and around the world. But perhaps we need to focus on making it a better world in a different way – – – Helping to address the gross lack of love and respect and concern that many have for our fellow man right here in America.
Perhaps there is a whole new nonprofit opportunity out there for someone to take on! I’m not entirely sure what this may look like, but there are social and mental health problems in this society that are simply being swept under the rug. This guy in Colorado is just the most recent example.
Unrelated to the massacre in Colorado I was reading an article the other day that stated 70% of all criminals are from fatherless families — people nurtured solely by the mom. The mom’s undoubtedly did the best they could. This isn’t a condemnation of them at all, it’s a condemnation of the father that walked away and didn’t fulfill his duty, which is clearly, based on the statistics, a vital and important role in a person’s life. This is just one example of the ill’s of our society that have become acceptable and we have become numb to.
So what can nonprofits do to help society be better?
The answer is not the government. It’s not tighter gun control. It’s not acceptance of same-sex marriage. It’s not free birth control for everyone. Â It’s instilling a much deeper and meaningful principle into someone’s life. Perhaps instilling some good old fashioned morals, values and discipline. Offering support and influencing people and society with a different approach.
What this might look like I don’t know yet. But it will be hard work I am sure. Work that is much harder than providing a meal, or clean drinking water, or a hospital bed. It goes beyond basic human needs into the heart and soul of a person. A heart and soul that seems to have been lost somewhere along the line.
May God take care of the murdered, the wounded and the families and friends and bystanders that were part of this senseless and brutal attack on innocent people. Let’s look for ways to nurture a better society togther.
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