Education is great. I'm all for it. But I also know this guy personally. Short version: Off-duty cop, out driving the family around in the minivan. They stop for a moment to pick some things up at the store, and while Mom and Dad are out of the van, the 3-year old gets ahold of Dad's gun (in the cupholder) and kills his sister. I don't blame the child. A 3-year old doesn't know better. I blame the cop. Who went through extensive gun training. And still left his weapon ... loaded ... safety off (or, ya know, Glock) ... in an unlocked car ... with small children ... The simple fact is that he's a good guy. Smart. Capable. All-around nice guy to have a barbecue with, and if I was his neighbor, I wouldn't think twice about asking him for help on anything at all. But a gun was a part of his daily life. So he got casual with it. And now his daughter is dead because his son got ahold of the gun. Train all you want. Give all the education you want. The more you are around something, the more casual you get about it. (Ask OSHA.)
Isn't part of education supposed to be "This thing is fucking dangerous so be fucking mindful about where and how it is at any given moment"? Casualness comes with lack of reminders.Give all the education you want. The more you are around something, the more casual you get about it.
Well... yeah. And that's easy to say from behind a keyboard. But out in the real world it isn't that easy. What is a "reminder"? How do the reminders remain effective? The reminders themselves become ineffective, because they follow a pattern over time. You can't just have someone jump out of the bushes and attack a guy once a month and scream in his face, "The weapon you are carrying is dangerous! Treat it with respect!" The same is true for truck drivers, or heavy equipment operators, or race car mechanics, or lab technicians that work with lasers, etc, etc, etc. There are a lot of dangerous things in our lives, but even the dangerous stuff gets boring if you work with it long enough. Mindfulness is hard to maintain over the long term. Because we are humans, and we fall into patterns. Casualness comes with lack of reminders.
Sounds simple: break the patterns. How do you do that? That's reaching deeper than my expertise goes. One thing I'm sure of, though: it can be done. All you need is a team of young creative minds as a government contractor. When it comes to a weapon, fuck respecting it. It's not an idol. It's a tool that people could use - even accidentally - to kill other people. They are the one you should respect enough not to leave your gun lying around ready to use. Human beings are social creatures; materialism is just a means to an end. Use that to your advantage if you want to make sure fewer accidental murders happen.Mindfulness is hard to maintain over the long term. Because we are humans, and we fall into patterns.
"The weapon you are carrying is dangerous! Treat it with respect!"