What Is To Be Done

I did not like Charlie Kirk

I think his politics were simple and shallow, his witness for Christ was mostly bluster and little substance, and his campus visits took more and more of the image of one holding court and being worshipped.

But, it must be said (and I truly believe): He did not deserve this. At all. He was a father and a husband and the last thing I ever want to see are kids orphaned and a spouse widowed.

His tragic and terrible death isn’t going to shift my opinion on the man. His political discourse was unhealthy for the nation (more on this later) and I stand by that. But I saw the video of his assassination, and it was so disturbing on a number of levels. This event is not a good thing in any way, shape, or form and it leaves a terrible taste in my mouth to see people act so callous about it.

Additionally, this is a terrible omen for what is to come. People are offering up prayer and lamenting his death, which is fine and I have no issue with these actions. But something that we should immediately discuss are the pragmatics of what is going on, and what options as a community we have. Because we are rapidly approaching an event horizon of political mayhem that no one wants to live in.

It’s crucial to point out that not only political commentarors, but politicans are now being attacked. In addition to Charlie Kirk, the current president was shot at in Pennsylvania and a Democratic lawmaker was murdered in Michigan with her husband. This was all in the past year. I have no data on how this compares historically, but what I can definitively say is this will only get worse.

So we need to talk about political violence and where we go from here.

The Nation in Crisis

κρἰσις (crisis) N. = In Ancient Greek medicine, the term used to define the decisive point of disease progression, whether that be healing or death

Politically-charged assassinations are not new, of course. They have existed in every state, but noticeably, at particular moments in a state’s evolution: crisis. And points of crisis never just eroded away with no effort.

The political landscape today is the most polarized it has been since the late 1800s. And a lot of this draws down into a conflict of morals, of economic priority, and social identity.

Morals (The Chrisitan nation vs a Secular one)

Economics (Capitalism vs Socialism)

Social Identity (‘Woke’/DEI vs the opposite)

All these polarizing views have been exacerbated by the media apparatus and social media that fuels pre-concieved notions and creates sub-human villains of the other side. To be frank, Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA was guilty of this… and to be fair… I have also embraced this mindset at times.

An Example:

The conservative will say that the leftist will ‘destroy the west and all that is good’ etc

The leftist will say the conservative ‘longs for the facism of Nazi Germany’ etc.

Regardless of the merits from either side of this argumentation, the truth is as long as we view those that hold the opposing viewpoint as some kind of existential enemy, we feed into the kind of environment that produces this sadistic fruit. With the gap that now exists between what each political side considers to be true, a vanguard of violent, lonely, and online individuals are born. And they are so radicalized by their chosen media, that they are willing to kill and maim for it.

Historically, these events coincided with significant political unrest that would reach its apex in the form of a revolution, a civil war, loss of freedoms, or all three. There is no gradual retreat from this reality. There is no gentle relief that we will stumble into. And God will not intercede to give peace to our nation. If he did, it would be the first time he’s ever done so in human history.

So are we going to spiral further and further down into violence? Is there really no hope?

Well, no. Nothing is guranteed. I might be a cynic but I do believe in ‘off-ramps’ that can help release this growing tension and find some kind of reconciliation.

The Call To Action

Be Ruthless to Systems, Be Kind to People

-Michael Brooks

I’ve made my position in the political spectrum pretty clear, but something that I’ve learned to appreciate and grow in is understanding why conservative people think the way they do. And I’m able to do that because I’m around them all the time. I have many friends and family that have come into my life, lifted, and encouraged me and all the while having political opinions that I find to be…wrong. BUT. It’s helped cultivate an attitude of empathy and humanity that I routinely try to employ.

Do I think the conservative political mindset is wrong?

Yes in almost every way.

Is it important that I seek to sincerely understand why people remain conservative??

Absolutely.

Though it’s comforting to assume everyone is just a stupid bigot and I have it all figured out, that would be a deeply unhealthy mindset to cultivate. I try to understand people on their own terms and, though I fail, it helps me ground myself. It helps me see the humanity in everyone and the nuance in societal issues.

Political polarization, the weaponization of social media algorithims, and the erosion of social community have all contributed to the recent explosion of political violence that senselessly took Charlie Kirk’s life. But I implore everyone reading to not adopt the same crooked and warped mindset of the shooter. It is really easy to fixate and attribute this crime to an entire ideology, and dehumanize those bearing it. I know this because I’m guilty of doing it on the opposite side of the spectrum.

What we MUST do is examine the causes that would make someone pick up a gun and shoot a man, wield the ability to do so, and rectify these issues.

What we MUST do is recognize the humanity of those with different politics, and consider why they hold those kinds of beliefs.

This should be a call to action for everyone to truly reach across the aisle in order to communicate and understand those that share different views. If we choose to retreat into our political cliques and algorithms, then we are damning the country to more of these abhorrent crimes. My prayers go out to Charlie’s wife and two kids.