Anyone is welcome to submit a Guest Blog Entry to torontomike.com. I received the following entry earlier today.
Regarding Mona's rant and Boon's justification of her nearsighted and racist post, let's be reminded that the identity or race of the shooter who's bullet struck Creba have not been identified. It's important to withold one's conclusions until all the evidence is on the table, because anyone with a modicum of life experience will tell you, assumptions frequently turn out to be incorrect.
What man calls "me" is nothing more than a collection of sensate experiences gathered throughout their lifetime. Put another way, if you experience shit you'll spread shit. And that's not regarding the hue your skin gives off in the light. One who is in conflict creates conflict -- it begins from within. Turn out the light and a conflicted white youth is just as conflicted as a black one, and both carry the same potential to carry out what happened downtown this past Boxing Day.
When unfortunate circumstances like this manifest, we want to compartmentalize the problem -- find a specific cause for a specific result, and above all, we want to put a name (or skin colour) behind the cause. For starters, we must put an end to this sort of materialistic thought process.
It never occurs to people that some things may not have clear causes, if any at causes at all. Sure life appears to be driven by a degree of predictability, but I believe that every occurrence in the universe was manifested by the full weight of the universe -- our task is to grow from those occurrences whether they be pleasant or unpleasant. No amount of analysis, theory or parrotting dead cliches like "enough is enough" will address this issue satisfactorily.
What is my stance on the issue? Indifference. That's not to say I hold no concern for what happened, but the world is our teacher and man doesn't have his attenae tuned. The clues for human growth exist as much in a blade of grass as it does in a wild Yonge Street shootout, but we don't look for them.
We don't know how.
You won't hear any plaintiff cries of "stop the violence from me," because I am perceptive enought to recognize the futility of that. After the Cadougan boy was caught in the crossfire of a housing complex shootout last summer, I even said more four year olds need to be caught in the middle of gun battles if that's what it will take for people to wake up. Controversial sure, but it may be the best cold shower that'll make these punks come to their senses.
Proton out.
Proton
You're right, I gave Mona an easy out. Initially my response was going to be quite a bit harsher, but then I felt my tone was going to be too judgmental so I gave her the benefit of the Chris Rock doubt. If I close my eyes and visualize the person who fired the bullet that killed Jane sometimes it's a white male, sometimes it's a black female, other times I see a black male or even a white female. Always it's a lawless, fearless punk.
You're right about something else. We don't know. That's why there's so much frustration. If I can do nothing else at least I can give everyone who has an opinion on the subject a forum to express it, for better or for worse. My greatest fear is the spread of further indifference.
