The Greek Mythological figure Sisyphus was punished for his deceitfulness - among other things - by rolling an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down when he nearly pushes it to the top, repeating this action for eternity.

So excuse me when I suggest that we, in 2019, are living a reality that might be looked back on by our successors as Sisyphean.

World news:

The world woke up to the news of yet another mass shooting in the United States. So far this year, 979 people have been shot; of those people, 246 have died.

We are 218 days into the year and there have been 251 mass shootings - classified as an event where multiple people are victims of firearm-related violence. Yep, more than one a day.

It feels like we are cursed to repeat the same cycle over and over. A mass shooting occurs, we feel anger or sadness for the victims.

Read more:

Then come the 'thoughts and prayers', a completely empty and frankly disrespectful gesture that, intentionally or not, deflects blame away from the society that allowed it to occur.

Next comes the gun law debates. It's often said that Australia has better gun laws than the United States, and that is true. But it's worth remembering even at the time the gun amnesty was suggested back in 1996 you had all sorts of pushback from people reluctant to give away their weapons.

Usually at this point the NRA or other lobby groups flex their immense political muscle, determined to protect their 'rights' as owners of unnecessarily powerful weapons no matter the cost. The cost being the lives of innocent children and adults, evidently.

The once ferocious debate withers to nothing and we all move on, doomed to repeat the cycle again.

Sadly, many do not have the luxury of moving on - the impact of a gun death goes far beyond the victim. Their families, their community and society at large all suffer as a consequence, and for what?

What do you think? Send a letter to the Editor