8) On School Shootings and Hatred
The column has received many questions and comments about the rise in school shootings. Andrew replied in a more general stance, explaining the issue with the overuse of the word hate and how most of the time, when people say they hate something, they’re confusing it for another emotion. “Hatred usually stems from a deep fear or hurt rather than a deep dislike. If you’re very honest with yourself, perhaps you can recall times when you thought you “hated” someone when actually it was just someone you were intimidated or hurt by.” By taking a step back and examining our emotions a little bit more, we might stop confusing hatred for being uncomfortable, which in the end, might make the world a better place.
7) Should I Bother With College?
A question that stood out was from a person who went by Higher Learning. They asked if college was worth the trouble. Andrew makes a good point that it offers great opportunity, but it’s not always delivered. Some people go to college and find exactly what they’re looking to do, while others can spend nearly a decade in college and leave with no better vision of the path they should choose. “…you can still participate in the college experience without ever having to really go. Some people just love college itself, for exactly what it is.” He goes in depth about his experiences with college as a professional partier, rather than as a full time student. You might not need to enroll to have the full collegiate experience.
Gun violence has been hot topic issue as of late, since many are in disagreement about the proper protocol for who can buy guns and who can’t. A person by the sign off name of One Shot questioned whether or not it’s a good idea to buy a gun to protect their family. Andrew brought up important questions that every person who debates buying a gun should ask themselves: “In your situation, it’s perfectly natural to want and protect your family and your property, and a gun is one way to do it. But just go through the possible scenarios that could play out: If someone breaks into your home while you’re actually there, are you going to confront them with the gun? Are you going to shoot them if they don’t leave? What if you miss? What if you actually kill them? What if they weren’t actually an intruder, but a family member you mistook for an intruder? What if they grabbed the gun and shot you?” while he explains he can understand the need to protect a family from harm, sometimes it can lead to more harm than originally intended.
