Unless you’ve been under a rock, a horrific and unfathomable thing happened on Friday in the Connecticut school shooting. I’m not going to belabor this tragedy… I think everyone with a heart can sufficiently say they are broken over the news and feel for the families.
What I think has been most interesting since this event, is the responses from people. Obviously with the advent of social media, internet, etc. people have a lot more access to information, misinformation and opinions.
The common theme that has cropped up is: why… and who/what can we blame for it? Here’s a sampling of what I’ve seen out there:
1. This is a gun issue. Yes, guns were involved, so that makes sense.
2. This is a mental health issue. Yes, one with extreme lack of empathy qualifies as mentally disturbed.
3. Guns are fine, it’s the people shooting them that are the problem. Yes, wackos with guns are a problem.
4. Arm the teachers. Yes, I’m sure cute lil sally first grade teacher would’ve taken down the dude with the semi-automatic if only she had been packing some heat.
5. Ban automatic/semiautomatic. What was the original purpose of these guns again? Oh, warfare, you say? Not malls. Cool, just needed that clarification.
6. It’s a cultural issue. It takes a village to raise a child, but we just have virtual villages and texting now.
7. It’s the media’s fault (thanks, Morgan Freeman). Who watches the news when the only report is about Furby?
8. God wasn’t at that school because that school doesn’t have prayer time. Last I checked God is everywhere always.
9. It’s the movie and video game industry. If you are a mentally disturbed fifteen-twenty something year old not getting the girls, and are way into the games/movies, and can’t separate that world from reality… ok, I guess that could be a factor.
10. It’s a reality show fame world we live in- we need to blame ourselves. Mass murderers want their 15 minutes of fame too apparently.
Maybe all of these are valid. Everyone has their own opinion. I don’t think the answer is an easy one. And I’m not trying to make light of the situation at all. It is just awful that this is happening in the sleepiest, sweetest towns to darling children who did nothing but eat Cheerios, and go to school right before Christmas break.
People are heated, and upset because they don’t understand. They want answers, they want to cope in some way. Some feel better coping by talking about gun issues. Other feel better by dissecting our societal emphasis on violence. All of these statements, as I see it, are people’s way of saying, “I am trying to cope with this and I don’t know how.”
Instead of getting upset at some of the nonsense I see in FB and other comments and outlets, I see it merely as a way for people to try to process that heavy question of WHY. There has to be a logical reason, right? Maybe there is no logical reason- and that is precisely why it doesn’t make sense. We have predators and pedophiles and shooters and robbers. These people are not logical people. Logic and ration don’t work for them.
We can have politicians changes laws, maybe the outcome will help- maybe it won’t… time will tell. But there are things you can do, right now, today, to make a difference. Get to know your neighbors. Look out for each other. Protect each other. Take care of each other, appreciate and love each other. If you need help, get help. There are more people willing to help than not… I’ve never known a person to ask for help and not have someone jump in to do so. Know that life, in general, really isn’t a huge amount of time and what we have is precious. Every day is precious. Don’t let a day go by that you aren’t appreciative of something in that day.
We can’t always control these really disturbed people… we can’t always protect, we can’t always prevent. But we can live. We can live each and every day and appreciate what we have. That we can do- starting now.
Life, Love and Yoga 