I keep thinking of the old definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If that's right, then our whole country is insane-- we weep and mourn after every school shooting (how many of them now?!), but what changes are we making? The changes might be better mental health care, tighter gun control, or reorienting a culture that actively discourages peacefulness and respect for human dignity, but the status quo is officially insanity.
I'm terribly sad, but there is no part of me that is at all surprised that yet another gunman has killed children and those who nurture them. What will it take for us to look for the conditions that have made this the new normal?
I don't have the answers, but I am absolutely certain that moving ahead in the same exact way will bring us right back to where we are this week. We're clearly failing on a lot of levels.
Communal Poetry Project
2 hours ago
I whole heartedly agree. The real insane thing is that, while incredible tragic and horrific, school violence such as this, actually makes up a very small percentage of youth violence. In fact, latchkey children, children who go home unsupervised, are much much more likely to be involved in gun violence or violence of any kind, yet still no one believes it can be their kid or they can make other choices. We, as a nation, need to start getting involved. And I don't mean complaining about gun control laws and school safety regulations. I mean speaking up when you notice your neighbor's child not being properly supervised, or saying something if you notice repeatedly strange behavior. Isn't the risk of stepping on toes or offending someone worth the safety of others??
ReplyDeleteEmily, I sure do know that as someone who got very little adult supervision as a child, I'm really grateful for those other loving adults who were in my life. They blessed me and showed me the nature of God in ways that I can't begin to express. So I certainly do agree that caring for all the children in the community is important.
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