As If It Will Matter ­ Reflections on Shootings and Civility

Readings

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We have multiplied our possession, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a differenceor just hit delete.

Take some timeRemember what's important.

Sermon

Last week on National Public Radio I heard an interview with Alistair Cooke. He's in his 90's now and still writing and delivering his weekly BBC broadcast "Letter From America." In 54 years Mr. Cooke has not once failed to make this broadcast obligation ­ not even when he was in the hospital following a heart attack! Realizing that Alistair Cooke came to the United States during the time of the Great Depression, the interviewer asked him to compare that time and this in the US. Cooke said, without hesitation, that these were more difficult times ­ that today as a nation we lack civility.
Three people who work with youth ­ two as sixth grade teachers and one as a Little League umpire ­ tell me that it's no fun to work with kids anymore. They "dis" you at the drop of a hat. They have no respect for authority, challenge every direction, create disruptions interminably, and, in general, make teaching and umpiring highly stressful activities. They would agree there is a lack of civility in America today.

The Interfaith Alliance is also concerned about a lack of civility in this country. Last week in Brevard County the local Interfaith Alliance chapter teamed up with the Brevard County Schools to promote a "Week of Civility." In other parts of the country, Interfaith Alliance chapters sponsored candle light vigils during a "Stop the Hate" campaign. The five year old organization encourages voters to seek candidates "whose demeanor leads away from the politics of destruction" toward constructive campaigning and civil debate. TIA is very concerned about a lack of civility in the public sector.
Fort Worth, Texas; West Paducah, Kentucky; Littleton, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Springfield Oregon; Pearl, Mississippi; Atlanta, Georgia; Laramie, Wyoming; Jasper, Texas ­ these are the locations of well-publicized shootings and hate crimes perpetrated in the last three years. These shocking crimes are viewed by some as the most sensational evidence of a lack of civility in our country.

While many would agree we have a lack of civility, many would disagree about why this lack exists. I want to mention six reasons this morning: (1) the growing gap between rich and poor; (2) our failure of empathy and compassion; (3) our failure to mentor boys; (4) a lack of hate crime legislation in the US; (5) irresponsible journalism; and (6) a culture of gun promotion in our country.
It is true that the gap between the very rich and the very poor is growing wider by the day. Not only is this gap growing, there is a growing insensitivity among the very rich for those at the bottom. I take as evidence of this a recommendation in congress that those who are eligible for earned income tax credits be paid these credits in monthly installments, rather than in lump sums. The people eligible for earned income tax credits are the working poor, who are refunded all the money withheld from their paychecks for income tax, plus a little bit more. They are identified by the computers which scan and screen income tax returns. Those proposing this change in the disbursement method claim to know better than the recipients what the greatest need is. The lawmakers say poor people need help making ends meet on a monthly basis, while a 1998 University of Syracuse Center for Policy Research study finds that recipients like getting the money in a lump sum. Getting one check helps them satisfy such big-ticket family goals as paying tuition, buying or maintaining the family automobile, and purchasing a home.

We sometimes think people who qualify for earned income tax credits are somewhere out there ­ a distance from us. In reality, they are right here in this room. I know I benefited from this program more than once when I was a single parent and still supporting my children. I'm sure there are others in this room who either have benefited or currently benefit from the program.

Staying in touch with those who are different from us economically is a civil thing to do. It is also civil to pay attention to those at the edges ­ people who are mentally ill, people who are homeless, people who have disabilities trying to live on SSI, and others who don't have a place at the table. As Unitarian Universalists we are called to be respectful of all God's children by our first and seventh principles. We are called to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

In addition to its call to honor those who are below the gap, in addition to its call to attend to the needs of marginalized people, our seventh principle calls us to a posture on interdependence. Those concerned with a lack of civility today cite a decline in charitable giving as evidence of a failure of empathy. Yet it is not all people who are reducing their charitable contributions. It is the upper income groups who do so. People at the lower end of the income spectrum repeatedly give higher proportions of their income than do those at the higher end. My friend the Reverend John Gibson, a United Church of Christ minister emeritus is fond of saying, "If you've never been audited by the IRS because of the high amount of your charitable contributions, you're not giving enough!" A failure to give, to identify with the "have nots" of this world, is another mark of uncivil behavior.

Larry Gene Ashbrook, Russell Henderson, John William King, Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, Buford Furrow, Jr., Mitchell Johnson, Andrew Golden, Kipland Kinkel ­ what do you notice about these names? Two things stand out: (1) They are the killers, the people whose behavior provoked the page one stories we've all read over the last three years. (2) They are all boys or men. This is not to say that girls and women are not uncivil. Yet those of the male gender are the ones whose behavior claims our attention, inspires national conferences, and hate crime legislation. In doing research for this sermon I discovered a book which speaks to this issue: Lost Boys by James G{Ý:p­"Äo found out D the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Asheville, North Carolina is so concerned about boys that they have created a religious education curriculum for boys similar to the popular Cakes for the Queen of Heaven curriculum many women in our congregation have studied. The Asheville program is called "The Hero's Journey." It is one group of men's response to their concern for boys and their lack of mentoring today. They have found a way to teach civility.

People who are more action-oriented, who want more solid opportunities to change things, often consider these first three reasons for incivility ­ the gap between rich and poor, failure of empathy and failure to mentor boys ­ too fuzzy. They cite a need for stronger hate crime legislation. Our own Unitarian Universalist Association Washington Office recommends lobbying Florida Representatives Bill Young and Dan Miller to honor the original language in the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which adds sexual orientation, disability, and gender to the already protected classifications of race and religion. Young and Miller are on the conference committee which has the task of reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of this act. As of last Friday this committee had not yet taken out references of disability and gender, however they were on the verge of doing so. The UUAWO fears this change would weaken the act.

Andrew Sullivan, writing in The New York Times Magazine, however questions the ability of hate crime legislation to help us counter hate as a social evil. Hate is always with us, he says, and hate crime legislation only identifies those who are victims, not those who perpetrate such crimes. Sullivan quotes Harold Meyerson, whose article in Salon used the term "niche haters" to describe "cold-blooded, somewhat deranged, often poorly socialized psychopaths." Sullivan goes on to say, "In a free society with relatively easy access to guns, they will always pose a menace." I would add, "whether we have hate crime legislation or not."

Before I talk about guns and the part they play in a lack of civility, let me mention the fifth reason cited for our front page headlines about shootings ­ irresponsible journalism. Barry Glassner, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Southern California has written an fascinating book called The Culture of Fear. He says, "In just about every contemporary American scare, rather than confront disturbing shortcomings in society, the public discussion centers on disturbed individuals." As Unitarian Universalists I think we have an inclination to feed this tendency by paying more attention to individuals and their welfare than to the community or the system in which the individual functions. Emitai Etzioni at our General Assembly in 1998 called us on this. He said our seventh principle ­ calling us to affirm interdependence ­ ought to be our first, and our first principle ­ affirming individuals ­ ought to be last.

In another section of the book, Glassner chastises news broadcast producers for living by the dictum "if it bleeds, it leads." Since moving to Florida Pat and I have been appalled at the sensational character of local television news. Obviously local producers are following this dictum. It is extremely rare to see anything about local governance issues, or cultural events, or other "non-bleeding" stories at all, let alone in a lead position. For the most part we just don't watch local TV news.

If journalists were being responsible, they would report mass shootings in context. The stories I cited earlier account for about 40 fatalities in an almost three year period. Allowing for the fact that only three-fourths of 1999 has passed, these deaths represent about 4% of the total deaths by firearms in the US during this period. There are a total of almost 36,000 firearm deaths in this country every year. Close to 16,000 of these are homicide, 1,225 are accidental shootings, and 18,500 are suicides.
Which brings us to the sixth reason cited by many for why our culture is steeped in a lack of civility ­ it is a culture of gun promotion rather than gun control. I just gave you our yearly statistics related to death from firearms. In our country 13.7 deaths of every 100,000 are due to firearms. If we compare our statistics with those of the eight other countries with the highest death from firearms, our statistics are one percentage point higher than the total of all the others: Canada, 4.08; Australia, 3.05; Sweden, 2.31; Germany, 1.47; Spain, 1.01; United Kingdom, 0.57; Vietnam, 0.18; and Japan, 0.07. Extrapolating from these statistics, Glassner reminds us, "American children are twelve times more likely to die from gun injuries than are youngsters in other industrialized nations."

Those who urge gun control have identified three incorrect arguments that are used by those opposed to gun control. The first is that gun control won't stop gun violence or that we need crime control, not gun control. Most convicted adult criminals acquire their handguns through legal channels (69%) ­ or from family members and friends. Among juveniles, about half acquired their weapons through the same means and about half bought their guns on the black market. Gun owners and dealers control access to firearms now. If those channels were controlled, our firearm culture would change.
The second incorrect argument is that firearm ownership is a constitutional right. The second amendment to the US Constitution reads, "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." The opening phrase is the qualifier, and the Supreme Court has determined that today's militia is the National Guard. Repeatedly US Supreme Court decisions, including those supporting local statutes outlawing handguns, make it clear the Second Amendment does not protect absolutely an individual's right to keep and bear arms.

The third incorrect argument against gun control is that handguns are a good means of self-defense. If there is a gun in your home, research indicates heightened possibilities of suicide (5 times more) and homicide (3 times more). A handgun in the home is 43 times more likely to be used against a member of the household or someone known to the household than against an intruder. Further, individuals defending themselves with loaded handguns put themselves at greater risk than if they didn't have a handgun, both in terms of harm to themselves and in terms of a possible legal outcome. If they kill someone, that homicide must be justifiable. Of the handgun deaths in 1995, less than 2% were justifiable homicides by civilians.

I have given you six reasons I believe contribute to the lack of civility in this country: (1) the growing gap between rich and poor; (2) our failure of empathy and compassion; (3) our failure to mentor boys; (4) a lack of hate crime legislation in the US; (5) irresponsible journalism; and (6) a culture of gun promotion in our country.

Perhaps you have identified a reason I haven't named. Perhaps you subscribe to some I have presented. Take a minute to jot a note to yourself ­ a reminder you can read when you get home. Why do you think our society is less civil now than it was in the desperate time of the Great Depression, according to Alistair Cooke. Then choose one positive thing to do which will counter this negative force. And jot that down, too. [PAUSE]

Jody Aliesan's poem, with which I began this time of exploration is titled "As If It Will Matter." Her poem is at least 20 years old. I know Jody. I know she is still living today as she was then, as if everything single thing she does matters. I think of her today because back then she focused on the threat of nuclear war. That threat hasn't left the horizon. In fact, this coming Tuesday congress will vote on whether or not to ratify the Test Ban Treaty ­ a document drafted many years ago, a document many hope will pass the US Congress and be signed by the President, so that other nations will join as signatories.

Think of Jody, think of the students at Columbine, think of the worshippers at Westside Baptist, think of the eighteen gun dealers listed in the Daytona Beach yellow pages, think of the two homeless shelters for men in Daytona Beach, think of the last time you checked to see if your gun is secure, think about sending an e-mail message to your Congressional representatives asking them to sign the Test Ban Treaty, think about your own personal ideas about the lack of civility in our country, think about the one positive action you want to take "as if it will matter."

Before we close, let us sing all five verses of hymn 298, "Wake, Now, My Senses."
A Rainbow Warrior's Prayer by Roger Fritts

Let my experience of my personal joys and sorrows deepen my responsibility to the joys and sorrows of all my sisters and brothers. Help me to see that their needs are my needs, their fears are my fears, their destiny is my destiny. Prepare me to release my need for a private store -- of possessions, security, love -- and to see that real freedom and abundance are found in sharing everything, so that everyone's needs are fulfilled.

Open my eyes to the profound effect my attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions have on others. Help me to recognize my limitations and my blindness without guilt and blame, and to accept the power flowing through me with humility and the desire to use it to the benefit of all.

Strengthen me to speak out and to act for the well-being of all people, all life. May I keep my heart open, with respect and acceptance of everyone, even as our different beliefs and understandings may lead us into conflict. When I find myself judging and rejecting others, remind me that it is the reflection of the dark unloved aspects of myself I am shutting out, and give me the courage to open to those unknown and fearsome places within me and transform them with love. Let me see the One in all.

As I daily visualize our lovely Earth enfolded in the light of love, peace, and healing, I pray to surrender my need to be the center of the universe and to know the center to be that everywhere/nowhere connection of all that is.

And as the brother/sisterhood of life-lovers grows from day to day, guide us to find each other, to strengthen and support each other in struggle and in harmony, in pain and in joy, and to surrender gratefully to the dance of life.

So be it. Blessed be. Yes!