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Last week, I had the opportunity to see Ben Stein in person while he spoke at a conference I was attending. We all know Ben Stein. He’s the guy from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off who plays the memorable monotone and personality lacking teacher. He’s that guy from the Visine commercials. He’s that guy who wants us to win his money. He’s that guy . . . ok, you know who Ben Stein is.
His speech was delivered on the heels of the Virginia Tech shootings and I am sure he modified his planned discussion as a result. And while his jokes (not about the shootings of course) had us all in laughter and his observations had us pondering, there was one particular segment that hit me profoundly.
Stein (and I am paraphrasing here because I cannot recall the exact words) basically noted that there are many critical issues that we as a nation and society are facing, but it will not be until we return to loving our neighbors that we will overcome any of them. And that is our most critical issue.
The worst part is the fact that I know it’s true, and probably everyone with more than one brain cell knows that it is true - but we continue to ignore the fact as though it weren’t.
Not to take anything away from the terrible VT events, but you will see this framed in so many ways and see it placed on so many agendas . . . but few (if any) will be framed from that perspective.
Gun control, warning signs, communication breakdowns, better security, screening for potential instability, more serious response to reports of concern . . . none of them are at the root.
It’s much easier to kill when you hate than it is when you love. It’s much more likely that you will hate when you haven’t experienced being loved.
(Once again, this was not written with the intent to suggest these shootings were not tragic or that we even should be spinning the storyline. The fact of the matter is that it will be spun and already is being spun – I would just rather see it spun to solutions rather than placing blame.)
[tags]Ben Stein, Ferris Bueller, Virginia Tech, Shootings, Love Your Neighbor[/tags]
Chad Gramling is a baseball loving author, Christian and family man. WordUp is his platform for discussing what's on his mind, his publishing endeavors and pretty much anything else.
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