by Paul Big Bear
Dear Friends,
The advancement of man; at some point man discovered fire, he found that it warmed him when the weather turned cold, it made his food taste better, fire was good. Soon man learned to control fire to serve his needs. Moving large objects from place to place was difficult at best until man invented the wheel and moving became easier. When you think of all the technical advancements man has made over history, it is nothing short of amazing. Spears for fishing, bow and arrow for hunting, club for protection, tools i.e. axe, hatchet, and knife, hammer so many inventions to aid man and make his life easier. Soon came carts and wagons to move people and possessions, boats to travel waterways, yes man has come up with some amazing discoveries and inventions and he has adapted them to help make his life better and easier and continue to do so. Gunpowder made it possible to move large rocks and blow holes in mountains. Gunpowder led to rifles that made hunting easier, taking down an animal for food from greater, safer distances.
Today we cook with fire in our homes, we heat our homes with fire, we drive cars; four wheels with an enclosed compartment enabling us to travel hundreds of miles in a single day out of the harsh elements. Our tools have advanced, no longer made out of sharpened rocks but rather shaped and sharpened metals, hand tools and large tools that make building great cities possible. Yes man has shown imagination, ingenuity, and creation to make life better and easier, but what happened? Fire is used to burn down buildings and miles of our natural forest lands with malice, arson for money or to collect insurance. The wheel has taken on the form of the car and it has crashed into other cars causing injuries and even death, it is even used to help commit crimes. Guns are used to shoot others with hatred, to shoot entire neighborhoods and large gatherings of people, all as we continue to make bigger fires that are more difficult to extinguish, cars that are capable of braking on their own, even coming to pick the owner up upon command, and guns that can destroy from miles away.
So, do we blame fire and take it away from those who use it for survival? Do we blame cars and take them away from those who drive with safety? Take guns away from responsible people who learn how, and use them properly. Maybe we need to look at the people misusing these discoveries and inventions that have led man to cure diseases, make it possible for cripples to walk, help the blind to read, and taken man to walk on the moon. I keep in mind that the hammer did not mash my thumb until I swung it and my spoon did nothing until I picked it up, scooped up food and stuck it in my mouth.