I think that if I were placed in the situation where I had to stand up to protect another human being from serious danger… I may actually step up! I’ve seen this in little minor situations. I pulled over alone about a year ago to stop a fight between two women, I felt pretty safe throughout that situation despite the fact that there was a 19 – 25 year old young man sitting in the back of one of the ladies car. He yelled, cussed, and threatened, but he never got out of the car. I have no idea why he never stepped up to stop the fight. Another time just a few months ago I was driving by a gas station when one of the kids in my car said “look there is a fight.” I pulled over about 100 yards away and realized that it was a man, actually attacking a woman. I ran as fast as 350 lbs of out of shape man could run and I stepped in. Some may say that this was totally stupid, others may think it was heroic. I don’t think it was either. As much as I want to believe I was rescuing someone who needed help, I was really rescuing me. As men we need to protect, we want to be heroes. As I approached I screamed to the man attacking the woman, and told him if he had to hit someone that he should hit me. I’m so glad he didn’t. If he had, this blog would be more interesting… but I would’ve probably cried and any chance of sounding like a hero in this blog would be gone. I really don’t like to fight. I got beat up in school much more than I won fights, even the fights that I would consider wins would’ve been ended before I threw a punch if there had been a referee. The referee would’ve stopped the fight for my protection.
At this point in my life, I’m beginning to believe more and more that if we truly become like Jesus we will put down our swords and choose not to fight. This is where the paradox gets interesting.
I want the gun laws to be very relaxed. Much more relaxed than they are. I believe in the right to bear arms and I want more people to exercise that right. I don’t want to shoot anyone, and if I ever were to shoot someone I hope I would be smart enough and accurate enough to shoot them in the leg or hand, Denny Crane style if you were a Boston Legal fan, lol.
I actually believe that if more students on college campuses were allowed to have their hunting riffles in their dormitories the Virginia Tech guy would’ve been taken out early or better yet the threat of a gun could have stopped him without a single shot being fired.
Is is possible to be a gun carrying pacifist? Maybe…
My favorite movie in the recent past is called Gran Torino. I started to put the ending of the movie here at the bottom of this blog, but I decided against that because of the horrible language. Gran Torino has a beautiful story, in Gran Torino Clint Eastwood plays character who certainly believes in the right to bear arms, but he also realizes toward the end of his life that the right to bear arms doesn’t make using a gun the best answer. In fact, he learns that more violence does the opposite of its desired outcome. I wish there were a clean films version of this movie, maybe there is but either way if you can handle the profanity in order to hear and see the message of the movie it is worth your time.
“Me, I’ve got a light!” As believers in Jesus Christ, we carry the light of God. Let’s show it!
