Combatting violence

So here we are AGAIN! The same arguments, the same go around. 

“We need common sense gun laws”

“No! Control doesn’t work”

“No one needs a weapon that can wipe out a classroom in 45 seconds”

“The only thing, that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun”

“Arm the teachers”

“Secure schools better”

“Metal detectors and armed guards everywhere”

“No we can’t have our kids going to school in prisons”

“We need better mental healthcare”

“It’s not a gun problem it’s a people problem”

And on and on and on.....

Then after a few days or a few weeks the arguing, and posturing simmers down, and we go back to life as usual until it happens AGAIN! Then the go around starts back up, but nothing is actually being done. You can’t say X or Y doesn’t work, because literally we haven’t tried anything so how do we know what will and won’t work.

You want to talk about rights? How about my child’s right to go to school, AND come home.

I’m having conversations with one of my dearest friends about looking at effing BULLET PROOF BACKPACKS, and how if our kids had to flee for their lives her son would carry mine so he wouldn’t get trampled if his hip dislocated etc..... This is an actual conversation I had! It’s the freaking twilight zone, I don’t know why we’re here, but it’s up to us to start getting out.

Currently not much is happening in Washington, so what can we do?

Yes vote, yes support causes that fight for what you believe in, but how can you effect change right here, right now, right where you live?

I truly believe it starts with combatting the loneliness and the hopelessness that people are feeling.  Pulling people out of a virtual reality of screens and back into actual human contact. 

*Put down your phone and talk to someone, look them in they eye, and listen to what they have to say.

*Reach out

* Ask your kids tons of annoying questions about life, school, feelings, people they come in contact with. Talk about empathy, talk about the need for human connection. Yes you’ll get shrugs and eye rolls and keep talking anyway!

*Put a premium on compassion

*Observe, listen

*Encourage your kids to do the same. 

*See people as people

This may all seem trite and cliche but it’s also something we can do proactively right now.  We are becoming a society of disconnection, and it’s causing deep wounds.  Do it out of love, do it because you don’t want your child to be that lonely kid who sees no way out.  Your attention and concern and kindness might be saving a life!

We need to focus on each other and start spreading kindness back into this world. I’m not naive, and I know it won’t solve all the worlds problems today, but it’s a start.

We are losing each other and it’s showing in our kids, in our society. So me personally I’m going to step away from screens for a while, but feel free to call me, come over for coffee, tell me what’s going on in your world. I promise to listen.