In this episode 4 chapters
- Guns, Madness or Evil?
Jeff frames the Parkland shooting as a culture-war battle in which postmodernists blame guns, modernists blame mental health and traditionalists blame evil.
- Perspective, Prayer and Tonglen
Jeff points out that school shooting deaths are statistically rare and gun violence has fallen, and he reads our outrage as a sign of a growing sensitivity to violence.
- Guns in a Pacifying World
Jeff explains how gun ownership marks identity and self-reliance for amber traditionalists, and how gun rights have become a partisan divide.
- Helpers, Death and Discourse
Corey talks about looking for the helpers amid the dread, and argues that our distance from death breeds a fetish for guns and violence.
Is America’s rate of gun violence, which multiplies that of other developed countries, an immutable part of our character and culture? How do we respond to the steady news of mass shootings and the senseless killing of innocent people? And how about the perpetrators: are they mentally ill or just plain evil? Today Jeff and Corey consider the shooting at the high school in Parkland, Florida, and what integral thinking can reveal about this tragedy.
About Jeff Salzman
Jeff Salzman worked with Ken Wilber for several years in building the Integral Institute. He is a co-founder of Boulder Integral, the first bricks-and-mortar venue dedicated to the development of integral consciousness. These days Jeff provides integrally-inspired commentary on politics and culture on Integral Life and The Daily Evolver.
About Corey deVos
Corey W. deVos is editor and producer of Integral Life. He has worked for Integral Institute/Integal Life since Spring of 2003, and has been a student of integral theory and practice since 1996. Corey is also a professional woodworker, and many of his artworks can be found in his VisionLogix art gallery.
