Dwelling
in Wisdom
“All
who dwell in Tir na nOg are wise, because here there is no deceit.
Truth is not misted over, but is apparent to all. But truth is a high
mountain, and even the Wise may stand at different levels, and obtain
a different view.”
Irish
Manuscript, 14th Century
Don't
we wish we lived in this enchanted land where everyone is wise? And
what, pray tell, does it mean to be wise? Everyone's truth is based
upon personal experience and values. Take the issue of gun control,
for instance, which hopefully is going to be the topic of
conversation for some time. I have no problem with hunting. When I
was a child, my father was a hunter. I have very fond memories of
standing on a chair at the sink while he cleaned and dressed out
whatever animals he had shot or fish he had caught. It is how I
learned anatomy. He showed me what the animal ate and where the eggs
or babies were incubated. He was a great teacher, and we ate whatever
he brought home.
In
Alabama and much of the South, the deer population is enormous. So
much so that the food supply is insufficient to sustain them. Hunting
helps thin the population and keeps the remaining animals healthy and
robust. I have cooked and eaten venison many times. In fact, I have
cooked and eaten everything from squirrels, to doves, to ducks and
wild pigs and many, many wild-caught fish. My former husband was also
a hunter.
When
we lived in New York, however, the people in our building were quite
wigged-out by the fact that there were hunting guns in a case on the
wall. Their experience with guns was different from ours. At the
time, New York had a high crime rate and any gun spelled trouble.
People who kept guns were suspect, and of course, as Southerners, we
were suspect anyway.
Everyone
has a different orientation to guns, and typically, strong opinions
about the use of weapons. What we have to do as a nation is open up a
respectful dialog about what is legitimate and appropriate, and what
is not, when it comes to guns. This is not Tir na nOg, and we are not
all wise. All of us stand on different levels of the mountain, and
have different views. We won't always agree. But that should not
preclude civil discussion about control of certain kinds of
weapons—those used for shooting human beings. Who should have them?
Who should not?
This
is the moment. It is time for action. Let us prove that we are a
civilized nation by honoring the lives of these little ones, and all
others like them, with the wisdom that puts their interests and their
safety first.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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