Day 15

A gang-member is found dead. He's got a hole in his chest, and inside that hole a bullet through the heart. There are no other injuries. What killed him?

He was killed by the stoppage of brain function.

He was killed by heart-stoppage.

He was killed by a bullet.

He was killed by a gun.

He was killed by the hand of the shooter.

He was killed by the actualized intention of the shooter.

He killed himself, for this death is a likely consequence of joining gangs.

He was killed by a society in which guns are accessible.

He was killed by a society in which violence is too often a solution.

He was killed by time; his death was never avoidable.

He was not killed, only his body.

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I believe that many debates only occur as a result of differing underlying structures. "There is just no arguing with some people" is something we say often, but it makes 'them' sound bad. You are also one of them, when it comes to some things; as am I.

I also believe that some debates are only bred from bad systems. Abortion is an example: My thought is that the oppositions can never be bridged because what is between each of them is the same thing: a society in which there are both unwanted pregnancies and unwanted children. The so-called 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice' advocates are fighting against this truism from either side. There is no clash, for they are nothing more than allies who refuse to say so.

This is just an example. Many debates are of this nature; they contend how to deal with the symptoms of a problem from different ideological perspectives, while either accepting the root as inexorable, or ignoring it altogether. That these debates never end should be no surprise; their arguments and talking points become codified and recycled, taught from generation to generation.

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Anonymous said…
i like this.
10:26 AM
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