Today, I am reposting my Facebook status here, because I think that it is important.
"I've had a few friends reference this website, and I think it's important to remember how many beautiful things are done every day. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/moments-that-restored-our-faith-in-humanity-this-y
Just think of how many things aren't reported, too. Every positive act matters. I will say one specific thing about today's events--regardless of how you feel about gun control, though it is certainly an important conversation, this also needs to be a discussion about how those with mental illness in our country receive treatment and how each and every one of us can discourage acts of violence by serving as a support network for those around us who may need it. A person with feelings, and thoughts, and rationalizations is ultimately the one who pulls the trigger--and that means that it isn't ONLY our responsibility to make sure that gun purchases are appropriately registered, it is Also our responsibility to avoid stigmatizing others, and to serve as a warning network if we think that someone may be a danger to themselves or to others.
This is a conversation about guns, yes. Guns facilitate mass casualties. But there will always be weapons that do that--homemade explosives can certainly do that--and that is why discussing the root of the problem, how the shooter could have become less motivated to commit the crime beforehand, is so important."
Poetry seeks to understand all points of view; a poem has succeeded at being significant if it takes us to a moment that we did not think that we could experience again, or at all. It is moments in our lives such as this that deserve poems: where people cannot understand, or do not want to understand. The shooter was a human being. He was not "evil," he was not "irreparable." He may have felt horribly, horribly alone. He may have become confused regarding what was real and what was not, or who was threatening him and who was not. If he had not had access to guns, he might have used knives. If he hadn't used knives, he might have used poison. He might have used bombs. Pain unravels. People don't generally, as I understand it, want to kill those around them from birth. They spend years--decades--being hated, and thus learning how to hate.
The only thing that begets violence is violence. If you want to stop violence, it starts in homes. It starts in schools. It starts with an act of kindness. It starts with avoiding desensitization. It doesn't start with the gun shop--guns may facilitate death, but they don't cause death. Gun control is incredibly important, but focusing on gun control also puts the responsibility for crimes such as this largely in the hands of the legislators and the prosecutors. When violent crime escalates, it is a societal problem, and it means that absolutely everyone is not doing enough. Every positive act matters, and that includes being kind, and observant, and attentive to your word choice, and a role model for those around you who may need one.
"I've had a few friends reference this website, and I think it's important to remember how many beautiful things are done every day. http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/moments-that-restored-our-faith-in-humanity-this-y
Just think of how many things aren't reported, too. Every positive act matters. I will say one specific thing about today's events--regardless of how you feel about gun control, though it is certainly an important conversation, this also needs to be a discussion about how those with mental illness in our country receive treatment and how each and every one of us can discourage acts of violence by serving as a support network for those around us who may need it. A person with feelings, and thoughts, and rationalizations is ultimately the one who pulls the trigger--and that means that it isn't ONLY our responsibility to make sure that gun purchases are appropriately registered, it is Also our responsibility to avoid stigmatizing others, and to serve as a warning network if we think that someone may be a danger to themselves or to others.
This is a conversation about guns, yes. Guns facilitate mass casualties. But there will always be weapons that do that--homemade explosives can certainly do that--and that is why discussing the root of the problem, how the shooter could have become less motivated to commit the crime beforehand, is so important."
Poetry seeks to understand all points of view; a poem has succeeded at being significant if it takes us to a moment that we did not think that we could experience again, or at all. It is moments in our lives such as this that deserve poems: where people cannot understand, or do not want to understand. The shooter was a human being. He was not "evil," he was not "irreparable." He may have felt horribly, horribly alone. He may have become confused regarding what was real and what was not, or who was threatening him and who was not. If he had not had access to guns, he might have used knives. If he hadn't used knives, he might have used poison. He might have used bombs. Pain unravels. People don't generally, as I understand it, want to kill those around them from birth. They spend years--decades--being hated, and thus learning how to hate.
The only thing that begets violence is violence. If you want to stop violence, it starts in homes. It starts in schools. It starts with an act of kindness. It starts with avoiding desensitization. It doesn't start with the gun shop--guns may facilitate death, but they don't cause death. Gun control is incredibly important, but focusing on gun control also puts the responsibility for crimes such as this largely in the hands of the legislators and the prosecutors. When violent crime escalates, it is a societal problem, and it means that absolutely everyone is not doing enough. Every positive act matters, and that includes being kind, and observant, and attentive to your word choice, and a role model for those around you who may need one.
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