This is not intended as a eulogy for these three or any of the other victims of an assassins bullet. It is intended as an indictment of our culture in one particular respect. VIOLENCE! The male citizen of our American culture, and to some extent but not to the same degree, the males of other western cultures, have elevated the cult of masculinity to the ultimate. Individually we have the assassin, internationally we have the hydrogen bomb. The three maniacs that pulled the triggers that snuffed out the lives of these three men terminated permanently their contributions to human progress. And for their victims the world ended. Those who could, and someday may, send the necessary message to arm and deliver a nuclear warhead will end the lives of millions. The situations are identical the only difference being in the number of victims. But for each of those victims the result is exactly the same whether he be the only one removed from the scene or just one of millions terminated at the same time.
Does it occur to you that each of the three men to whom this article is dedicated were Gentlemen? They were also gentle men. I trust you get the significance. All three were concerned about their fellow men and his plight each in his own way but they had this one characteristic in common. They showed love for other humans not hate, they taught peace not disregard for the problems of others. For these they were shot. Lincoln was another of the same type. And most of all Jesus was crucified showing the same traits.
So what has all this to do with the general area that we are all interested in? In a world that venerates, honors and rewards masculinity far above feminity and which at the same time equates, strength, courage, determination, aggressiveness, and force with masculinity, what can we expect. Men are SO frightened, so ashamed, so fearful of their gentler instincts and feelings that they shove them aside and elevate the current
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