Reason vs. Emotion

[Dennis1209]

I just got back this week from St. Louis burying my only brother, whom I dearly loved. He committed suicide by shooting himself once in the heart with a handgun, what a shock and emotional spiral!

 

When something like that un-expectantly happened, many thoughts raced through my mind. Such as, knowing his history with some mental illness issues, I was thinking, how could he qualify to purchase and own a firearm, etc. I initially was thinking with emotion about if he didn't have a damn gun in the first place...

 

At certain times, emotion rules our thoughts and actions and clouds our reasoning abilities for awhile. For a short while I was blaming the damn handgun and handgun laws. Then emotions subsided somewhat and logic and reason returned from the tears and pain. The often quoted, "guns don't kill people, people do" reasoned in my brain. If that handgun "tool" was not available to do his bidding, they're many other alternatives available to accomplish the same results, be it murder or self murder.

 

IMHO. This is how gun control is being sold to the American public. Through emotion rather than rational logical reasoning and facts.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Dennis1209

[gregintenn]

Sorry to hear about your loss. We buried my cousin when she was still in her teens. She hung herself. You are correct. The gun was only a tool. Had it not been available, he most likely would have found another way. Suicide is such a sad way to go.

[R_Bert]

So sorry to hear of your loss. 

 

Several of my relatives unfortunately have made the same choice.

 

It is indeed difficult to understand their choices.....

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

How heart braking  :( I am so sorry to hear that. Truly a tragedy.

 

 

You know he could have purchased the gun under the table somewhere.?

People who are this  disturbed and want to end their lives.. the  gun is just a means ..He could have easily done it any other way.. as others has stated.

Losing a loved one is the worst thing to have to go thru. It will get better..it might not mean much now but it will:)

[TrickyNicky]

Dennis, I'm very sorry for your loss, my thought go out to you and yours in this trying time.

At times I think even the best of us allow emotion to overpower reason in our heads and in our hearts. That's part of what makes us human and is nothing to shy away from, provided you realize that this is what's happening.

Unfortunately many of our policies are based on emotion and convenience these days, from our nations drug policies, social policies and of course gun policies, emotions run hot and too many vote with their hearts instead of their heads. Or have allowed their and other people's emotions to cloud their reasoning.

Once again I want to express my sincere condolences, I do know I would be crushed where anything to happen to any of my family, I think brothers in particular have a very tight bond. Please remember your brother in his better times.

[RED333]

WOW, sorry for your loss, my prays to you and yours.

[Timestepper]

Deepest condolences. I too lost a brother to self destruction a few years ago.

 

I commend you on your path to rational thinking. My own brother hung himself with a necktie in a motel room closet after first making a trip to the local hardware for materials to beef up the shelf he hung himself from. Kinda' hard for me to get mad about any of that.

 

Guess my point is that you are absolutely 100 percent correct in not blaming the tool he used when the actual implement of destruction lies inside the individual. And you are also correct that gun control is based upon emotion rather than fact. My own belief is that this is because society as a whole has traded common sense for false compassion and replaced its values with assumed ideals. Too damned bad because I miss the days of common sense and values as much as I miss my brother...

 

Again, my most heartfelt condolences. And again, I commend you on your self guided journey to logical rationale.

 

...TS...

[bersaguy]

There are no words to make the loss any less painful but Very sorry about your brothers passing. I am sure there are many of us who have lost family in a similar manner. My next older brother to me took his life and no one to this day knows why. He had a wife he loved and 3 grown children, lots of money and no wants for anything. He left a note on his wife pillow. Gone to buy a New Vette. Not uncommon, he bought a new one every year. She found the next note in his desk top drawer a few days after the Funeral. It just said "To tired to stay here any longer". He drove that new L-88 Vette down I-80 with 5 squad cars in pursuit about midnight and they had him clocked at  157 MPH when he made a deliberate left hand turn into a concrete via dock  pillar and the car almost self destructed. He always said Speed would kill him one day and we all use to just laughed because he was not happy unless he was driving far to fast. He did not use a gun but he still took his own life. No one blamed the car. He never showed one sign of having any mental issues at all and still took his life.

Somethings you just can't explain, they just happen. 

Edited October 4, 2013 by bersaguy

[hipower]

I'm sorry, Dennis. My prayers for you and all the family.