In A Sense

      Despite what we think as a society, school shootings have long been a part of the fabric of our culture in the United States. For whatever reason, out lineage of children and weapons seems to far outweigh those of our neighbors worldwide. Lost in the tragedy surrounding a child gone too far is often the leadup to horror and the aftermath left in their wake. A question to be asked about the escalating violence of recent times is - how much responsibility do adults play in prevention (or even escalation) of this plague?

     A parents responsibility to their child starts well before their child reaches "critical mass". The first responsibility is realizing there can never truly be a "bully free" zone. The excuse of these murders is bullying; but kids have been "bullied" for decades. Like any other form of society, there is a heirarchy that will have people of all kinds - including jerk kids that torment their classmates about their bodily differences, perceived intelligence or just general personality disparities. No amount of school "Supervision" will ever be able to catch it all - in fact accusing others of mistreatment is a very slippery slope towards another form of abuse. People aren't just. Life is not always a level playing field. Rather than teaching our children that a certain set of characterisitics will keep them safe; it is a better option to teach them to be resilient. Illustrate that life isn't fair; but teach them to think critically and move past the situation. With a belief in justice; a vigilante mindset can arise.

      Another place where kids seem to be harboring unrealistic expectations (as of late) seems to be in the arena of neededing a relationship - in High School! I was also interested in dating and having a girlfriend - but never to the point of violence! In the past year we have had two rampages from boys scorned....unfathomable. What an incredible sense of despair one must carry to want to hurt someone physically for not wanting to date. What beliefs are we extolling as a society to where this would be a progressive step towards madness? Love hurts at times.... but should it ever kill? Are kids today so disconnected and incredibly alone?

      Lost in all of this is the understanding that all of the individuals that wind up in these situations distributing death is that - somewhere they are obviously mentally disturbed. There is no making sense of such wonton acts of aggression; but how are so many slipping past those they are close to? Have family values fallen so far that people can't sense or understand when their children are descending into madness? On that point, guidance counselors are nice; but it may be time to institute a class for teaching pre teens and teens how to handle the stressors they all wade through in our modern society. Continuing to ignore the lesson being played out before us on an annual basis is a fools errand. Mandatory counseling group; buddy system - something to access more kids and give people a heads up to when someone is slipping from the mental safety zone. Metal detectors are fine and good - but it is time for us to "get ahead" of these troubled individuals BEFORE they start acting out.

      Adults are not left with their hands clean in this mess. How are these kids getting weapons? I don't know that there is a black market for teen and weapons; so my primary belief is that these kids are accessing these weapons in their environments outside of campus. Be it their own home or a friends home; adults are apparently leaving weapons available for young hands to acquire. So many times, the belief is there kid is responsibe and would never enact Death's Hand by harming others. It's a wonderful belief; but so many studies prove the drastic differences in people's mindsets and actions when they are in the grips of depression - or worse. So many of these stories begin with "how nice a young man" the perpetrator was..... enough's enough. I am a large and loud believer in our second amendment rights as American citizens. That does not, however, forego our responsibility to keep our commmunities and homes safe from an act of internal terrorism. It is time for adults to take more precautions with instruments of destruction. Or the time may come where society turns and our right to  arms is taken to protect the greater good.

     The last people I take issue with is our wonderful media and the 24 hours news channel desire for sensationalism. People point to video games as a reason for our kids being exposed to more violence now than ever; but what mesage are we sending with unending coverage of these tragedies? Gun violence is definitely a quest for power; so when a child sees the world in the grips of another story of horror, what are they to think about to power their ctions could create? Young minds are inexperiences - so many of them take their lives after inititiating these actions towards their schoolmates and realizing there is no way out. Even if it was the intent from the beginning - it is unthinkable. A child taking their own life is tragic. A child taking others lives is demonic.

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      There are many stories that lead to these moments of terror that are becoming uncomfortably common. There is no excusing the catalysts to a breakdown; but as a nation we have to accept what can be realistically contained and what is a knee jerk reaction to things that will be monitored but never truly come to an end. The time has come to lay these moments to rest; only by taking a hard look in the mirror as adults and caretakers about our responsibility in these occurences will lead to a change. I hope for our kids sake that we can do it. The victims of these tragedies number many - and at the end of it all stands parents crying for the children they have lost. Who can't understand an image like that?