Roe Vs. Wade & School Shootings – We Need Direction

The possible overturning of Roe Vs. Wade in the United States is a symptom and sign of something very very deeply wrong happening in our country (although I live in India I still consider, of course, the US as my country as well!) Taken in context of everything happening in the United States these days – with the shooting of elementary school children in Uvalde, Texas, the shooting of innocent grocery shoppers in Buffalo, New York…. In just 2022, already there have been 296 MASS shootings with 1567 people shot. A mass shooting means 4 or more people (not including the shooter) are shot in one location, a public place, at around the same time. And this does NOT include gang violence, drug wars, mafia type of stuff, etc. More people have died by gun violence in the United States between 1968 and 2017 than have died in every single war in US history.

I mention this in a post about my sadness around the likely reversal of Roe Vs. Wade because a huge majority of these shootings could have been prevented with tighter gun laws. I find it SO deeply disturbing that our Supreme Court has no interest at all in making it more difficult for people to buy guns while they are over-interested in eliminating the rights women have over their own bodies. Surely , in a country with nearly 300 MASS shootings in schools, grocery stores and other places that really ought to be safe, within only 5 months, our Supreme Court could be figuring out ways to ensure that our gun laws are significantly and severely tightened, rather than trying to figure out ways to take over control of women’s bodies.

Mahatma Gandhi said so beautifully, “What’s the point of that fast speed which has no direction?” It seems that our country is moving very fast, but in the wrong direction on some of these issues.

I deeply pray that the Supreme Court, the body to whom we have handed our faith to deliver justice to the nation, will do so with true clarity, deep wisdom, impartial and unbiased discretion and will use their power to truly protect the children of our country by keeping guns out of the hands of killers and letting women govern their own bodies.

I realize that a lot of people think that if someone is “spiritual” we should not get involved in “politics.” But this is not partisan politics. This is human rights. And to NOT get involved is to condone and support the injustice and violence. Spirituality, as I always say, does not take us farther from the world. It brings us closer, deeper, into an awareness that we are all ONE. Spirituality helps us understand that we are not separate — the tears being wept by mothers whose children have been shot dead in their classrooms are ALL of our tears.