What does it mean, what messages does it send young men—or boys aspiring to be young men—that it is OK to ask your mother to drive you to a protest with an AR firearm in your lap? And a strap newly purchased to make sure no one can take it from you when you are threatening to fire it?
And she says “Yes”?
The Kenosha protest was originally about racial injustice since a black man, Jacob Blake, shot by a policeman four times in the back, three times in the side, is now paralyzed from the waist down. And this four months after a police officer in Minnepolis knelt on a black man’s neck for 9+ minutes and murdered him.
Rittenhouse says he was in Kenosha to defend a place of business. Yet, after being told to stay there, instead went wandering in the streets where there was conflict, confusion and mayhem with his AR firearm extended and threatening to others.
Is it OK to pull the triggers (four times in a row) to kill a person whom he had witnessed earlier than night being off the charts with rage and wild talk (“I will kill you”) but having no weapons whatsoever?
This boy tells a court he killed a man surely coming to take his gun from him (even though he bought the strap with just that in mind—to prevent someone from taking it from him—and could have fought off the man, even hit him with the gun, rather than fire it at point blank range four times).
Is it OK to kill another man, again at point blank range, trying to take his gun away after he had murdered the first man?
Is it OK to attempt to kill another man but instead missing and blasted his arm off?
Clearly, our understanding of masculinity needs a work over.
See Matthew Fox, The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human, pp. 103-145.
To read a transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: Names of Black Americans murdered by white supremacists. Photo by BP Miller on Unsplash.
Queries for Contemplation
What does the Rittenhouse trial and decision and response to it say to you about values in America today and the understanding of masculinity in particular?
Recommended Reading
The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human
The A.W.E. Project reminds us that awe is the appropriate response to the unfathomable wonder that is creation… A.W.E. is also the acronym for Fox’s proposed style of learning – an approach to balance the three R’s. This approach to learning, eldering, and mentoring is intelligent enough to honor the teachings of the Ancestors, to nurture Wisdom in addition to imparting knowledge, and to Educate through Fox’s 10 C’s. The 10 C’s are the core of the A.W.E. philosophy and process of education, and include: compassion, contemplation, and creativity. The A.W.E. Project does for the vast subject of “learning” what Fox’s Reinvention of Work did for vocation and Original Blessing did for theology. Included in the book is a dvd of the 10 C’s put to 10 video raps created and performed by Professor Pitt.
“An awe-based vision of educational renewal.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
9 thoughts on “Some Questions Raised by the Rittenhouse Decision”
Richard Rhore, in his daily meditation, made reference to Carl Jung, which I share in a paraphrased manner, for I see how it relates to Mathew Fox’s conversation and questions for query.
“The dualistic non-contemplative mind sees all things in divided parts. The human psyche, when detached from the soul, no longer hears the true voice of higher authority.” These fragmented lost souls, only hear their own voice, see their own way and do only what they selfishly want.
Without deep contact with their in-depth self, they lack the ability to be radically honest with their own deepest depths. These unbalanced souls misuse and abuse the gift of inner authority and power given all humans.
Deaf to the “One” true higher authority whom has given all this gift, these wayward souls act without conscience, nor conscious awareness of the meaning and purpose of this gift given of inner authority and power; which is to be used to bless and serve the greater good of the whole.
Like the song, in today’s video clip, this is the moment, in which we must help these fragmented, lost, and wounded souls, to lay down what they have been holding onto, their dualistic perceptions and illusions of seperation… to help them listen to the wind… to hear the voice of wisdom that pierces their armored conscience… the voice of Spirit speaking truth to their hardened hearts, which is calling them out of the darkness of fear… to embrace the changes… that offer healing and wholeness. Like Lenard Cohen said, “it only takes a crack for the light to enter in.”
Jeanette, In your comment you say a number of things concerning people like Rittenhouse. You refer to: “These fragmented lost souls, only hear their own voice, see their own way and do only what they selfishly want.” Then you say, “they lack the ability to be radically honest with their own deepest depths,” and “These unbalanced souls misuse and abuse the gift of inner authority and power given all humans,” and finally you say, “these wayward souls act without conscience, nor conscious awareness…” I agree with all of these comments. Then you conclude with this: “we must help these fragmented, lost, and wounded souls, to lay down what they have been holding onto, their dualistic perceptions and illusions of separation…” I would like to focus on HOW do we do this! Thanks for your comment!
The how Richard, which most will not like or probably agree with and that is because it is extremely hard to do …. is to befriend what one perceives as the other, the enemy. In not choosing to do so, we merely allow the illusions of duality and separation, us against them, to become the reality.
Imagine, just for a moment if someone consciously aware and awake to the essence and presence of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and her wisdom ways of love, compassionate understanding and mercy, had actually befriended Rittenhouse at some point in his life, over a period of time, prior to all that led up to the present moment. Could you imagine perhaps a different outcome?
This imagining is not a fantasy, but rather a vision of hope instilled by the true author of our souls, whom has given each one of us all, the inner authority and power to choose to walk this vision out in our relationships with one another… for the other is apart of Himself and ourself.
Perhaps you have found the answers to the question how, through your own relationship with yourself, as you learnt to befriend those once rejected parts of yourself, those fragmented aspects of your own inner darkness that you once deemed as something that you needed to separate yourself from because they were perceived as an enemy within that did not coincide with who you wanted to become and be?
Is not God present in His/Her presence and essence, to all… those in both the light and the dark, befriending both in unconditional love, compassion and mercy?
Jeanette, You are absolutely right on the how! Jesus said, “Love your enemy.” Because I am an artist as well as a theologian, I often wonder if Hitler would have been different if he had been accepted in to art school in Vienna. The problem I see however, is that we often don’t know or get to these people until they erupt. Yes, God is present to all–those both in the light and the dark–the problem is that they often don’t recognize they are i n God’s presence…
My question comes from a different perspective. a more pragmatic one. Could someone please explain to me “How a teenager is given a right to carry a firearm?” The same could be asked of a license to drive an automobile…which can be a weapon with an immature mind, as well.
We are hearing a lot about youth depression, suicide and shootings…most are male and I see Matt’s point…but there is one more point…we are we allowing children to have weapons and we are expecting them to have the maturity to know how to use the weapons and in what circumstances. Why? Where are the adults, the parents, the teachers, the leaders, the maturity in our political system that says it is a constitutional right for children to have and use guns. No child of mine would have a gun. Not even a play gun. Why? To protect my child from ruining his own life, not to mention the potential for other lives. I would not want to be this young man, especially with an acquittal. There is another judge…his own conscience. The Holy Spirit will haunt him for years to come. I feel for the tragedy of all the lives lost, but also for the life he ruined. His own.
Love demands that we respect one another. Oppressors believe that Power is the only criteria for respect, that those who have power are better, smarter and deserve respect, and those who have less power are less intelligent creatures who deserve contempt. Oppressors believe that power is best demonstrated by abusive behavior. They give permission to themselves to be abusive to those with less power — women, minorities, subordinates in jobs, etc.
Guns are potent symbols of power. The one who holds the gun decides who is worthy of living…or not. Jesus said power does not, MUST NOT, determine love and respect. Christians were called upon to join in a new equality. But do people really want to listen to him? After all, he wasn’t very powerful against the Roman Empire.
I agree that we have to go much deeper than our first reaction of grief at what the verdict represents. It is a logical conclusion of a soul sick society that keeps producing narcissists. What is ours to do is to practice a fierce love, as the Rev. Dr. Jacqi Lewis writes in her book of that name. She has said in the past that we must love the hell out of them. It is so hard to do. But we must. We need to widen our perception to try to understand the fear that lies under the violence and to address it one by one in the people around us, if we can. If we practice lovingkindness, who knows what seeds may be sown? If we teach our children and grandchildren well, maybe another Rittenhouse can be prevented. What a sad little boy, and what a destructive little boy. Maybe we can try to identify such children in our schools and churches and give them the love they so desperately need.,
Sue, You write, “She (Rev. Dr. Jacqi Lewis) has said in the past that we must love the hell out of them [people like Rittenhouse]. It is so hard to do. But we must. We need to widen our perception to try to understand the fear that lies under the violence and to address it one by one in the people around us.” We need to sew the seeds of love, and teach our children and grandchildren to love and respect other people. But we also have to do more than just love, we need to find ways to help them not hurt more people!
I know none of us want to dwell on this let alone give it a read, but as human beings in the image of LOVE we must.