Tools are just tools

With the anticipation of the Dark Tower stories coming to a theater near you, I was reminded of a quote by the Gunslinger, and I am going to paraphrase (with respect to Mr. King): I do not aim with my hand, I aim with my eye. I do not shoot with my hand, I shoot with my eye. I do not kill with my gun, I kill with my heart.

(If I may have one brief comment, I’d like to say that I’m a big fan of Mr. King and have been since childhood. The way he crafts stories and paints my imagination is wonderfully amazing. Movies are great, but his printed words are genius.)

Now, back to the post. Folks who read my all-to-lazy blog know that I don’t have any issues with guns. I like them. I use them. I shoot them. I’m not political and don’t get into heated debates about their use, or their very existence. Of course, I have my opinions regarding all manner of public debate, but I’m not the kind of person that feels compelled to express them openly. We can talk, if you want. But it’s not a subject I’m going to bring up over coffee just because I don’t have another topic on hand.

That being said, I think this quote by Mr. King expresses what I think about gun violence. The people who commits acts of violence only use guns as tools. They could easily use other tools to commit the terrible acts they intend to. Guns are just the means. Folks who have already committed the act with their mind and their heart, only need to choose their tool.

I am saddened when someone has come to the point in their relationships with fellow humans that they choose to kill with their heart. That’s a sad place to be.

Inspiration From Others

I have long desired writing a story.

I have been a student of the creative process all my life. Not in the sense of wanting to learn to paint or draw or sculpt; no, I have been fascinated by watching others perform what I cannot and, then wishing I could that. When I read, and admittedly it’s not often I have the time, I am amazed at how some authors are able to craft, seemingly fully-formed plots and characters that are both complex and at the same time, effortless.

JRR Tolkien has long been a favorite of mine. Not because his stories have made it to the screen time and time again, but because his education as a linguist and his imagination and historical curiosity  about his own country led him to imagine a history either long-forgotten, or never presented. There has been so much written about how his stories hold the core component of good versus evil and, honestly, it’s quite evident. What I find most appealing is the manner in which he’s joined words to form sentences that, in turn, weave pictures together in my mind. The mark of a good author, if ever there was one.

So I will continue to practice stringing together words that weave stories that I enjoy telling and others may enjoy reading.