Reason First: What Is the Root of All Shootings in Wilmington, Delaware?

As Wilmington police investigate what looks like yet another shooting in the city sometimes called “Killmington, Hellaware,” it is easy to say that the firearm discharges are due to a spat, turf war, or drug deal gone wrong. The root of all of this madness is irrationalism. Unthinking factions roam the streets, filled with emotion and armed to the teeth. With just a minor exchange of words in a disagreement or maybe a misunderstanding, the guns are drawn. Only in a city as small as Wilmington, in a state as small as Delaware are these cases amplified due to the relatively low number of citizens who occupy the First State in the Union, and the “Place to be Somebody.”

The solution is better training for police, of course, but the beginning lies with the parents and teachers of these people who never fully understood the meaning of rationality and life. This coupling would correspond to anyone involved in street crimes, and allow them to see the errors in their thinking. They would be empowered to know that the mind is the only tool that can preserve life. That it is a means for human beings to communicate and discuss disputes, either face to face or in a courtroom in front of a judge.

Why does a weapon have to be involved? Why does it take guns to settle discord? The thinking majority of Delawareans and Wilmingtonians know is that their weapons are only for defense. The majority of the shootings that occur in the city happen because of unreason. Feelings of anger and hatred heat up like crabs in a pot. Once (most of the time it is a gun) a firearm is involved, tempers flare, and shots ring out in the broad day or wee hours of the night. In some cases, victims talk about their experience. Still, others do not have that fortune. They received rounds, and never recover and fall due to their injuries.

This was the case of a 21-year-old who succumbed to his wounds in Wilmington on the same day that a 27-year-old was injured. At such a young age, the man never had the chance to share his side of the story. He never received the opportunity to illustrate what happened to him. Now, only police and a medical examiner can piece together parts of the crime scene into a mosaic of what occurred. Wilmington shows little signs of reversing this deadly streak that has been running through it since its inception. While guns for cash and other programs present a temporary balm for the noxious acts of start of force in the city, the true way to end violence is to demonstrate that life is the most precious value one has. And that to take or attempt to take another life in a crime scenario is vicious. So many lives have been undone, because of the lack of thought. It is only the mind that can prevent these actions from happening. Rationality must be at the forefront of lowering the number of shootings and murders in Wilmington, Delaware to zero.

Selfishness is a major requirement. To value one’s own life, you would in turn value the lives of others, not out of duty, but as a consequence. Self-interest would dictate whether an individual has the capacity to think and reason on his or her own behalf, and to meet other people as traders. If there is some kind of breakdown in relations, then it is imperative that the offended party no longer associate with the other person(s). This does not mean pick up a gun. It means completely integrating the facts of reality, and living up to the code of thought.