Carlos Santana has weighed in on the shootings last week in Connecticut. He has posted a lengthy essay on what he believes drives some people to do what they do and what can be done to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.

In part he writes, "We are a violent country; that is our history and our present. It is internalized in all of us. We kill for money, for power, for influence and for attention. I say 'we' because I am a taxpayer and my money supports wars abroad as well as mass incarceration at home. Time to stop acting surprised when Americans kill children on our own lands; we do it abroad in the name of 'anti terrorism,' 'foreign aid' and 'democracy' everyday... Until our culture learns to value human life over currency and power, this will be our reality..."

As for what can be done, he says, "Banning weapons is not culture shaping, it is just law. Shaping culture starts with how we educate our youth on how to place value on community and our place in Mother Nature. And we must speak truthfully about our history. Do not lose hope. Let's get educated on this issue of violence...

"Even at home, we criminalize our youth before they even know how to read, destining them for a future in prison or six-feet under. Do you value all life the same? Do you think things have no value except as commodity? Do you think children whose parents don't like America's policies of violence deserve to die? Let's change what we teach our future generations so that they don't have to wake up everyday in the middle of multiple wars. All it takes is a willingness to change how we treat each other & how we perceive ourselves. Life is too beautiful to keep robbing children of their futures. Peace."

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