On December 14, 2012, a man broke into his mother's locked gun case and proceeded to kill his mother in her sleep. Fully loaded with guns and bullets, he forced his way through a security system at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He subsequently killed 26 people, including 20 first graders. He then turned the gun on himself.
Author's Perspective: To be honest, for the past several weeks I could not find my voice on this issue and had no idea what to write about. The sadness... the senselessness... the devastation... the heartbreak... It was too overwhelming... too difficult to face.
I have a Ph.D. in this psychology stuff and I can't begin to understand this kind of madness. The questions of why will never be answered and each question leads me down a different dead end path.
1) Should we ban assault riffles and have stricter gun laws in this country? Would this have mattered?
2) Should we provide armed guards at every school in America?
3) Should we take better care of our mentally ill in America?
4) Should we eliminate the coverage of this murderer in hopes of dissuading future psychos who want infamy for going out in a blaze of unglory?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vhdWElfNqQ (a special tribute to the victims)
Those questions are for you and others to contemplate. My thoughts and my voice are reserved for the victims. These innocent victims who should have spent Christmas with their families. My heart aches for the poor families of the survivors who are unable to spend 2013 and every other year with their departed loved-ones. I shake my head at the power that one person can have over the lives of so many. It all makes me so very sad and brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it, as it should.
I have known too many people who have been devastated by similar, but not as well-known shooting disasters. Sometimes I wish I had a magic wand. My wish for 2013 is that we have a cultural shift emphasizing and celebrating the importance of every human life.
No comments:
Post a Comment