From the West to the East, our days are replete with stories of slaughter. We hear about a slain student here. We read about a stabbed teacher there. At times the killings occur on the streets. On other occasions death hits a household. We would like to believe that schools are a safety zone, but history tells us that is not true. More than once we have heard shots rang out in the halls. Students and teachers hide. Administrators were hurt and/or helpless in the face of such violence. So, what do we do? We shut down the facilities. We keep strangers out, talk too. Oh, we will express our grief. We will pray. We will mourn in our houses of worship. But there too, there are many murders. Regardless of where we are, sounds of assassination ring out. Turn on the radio, the television too. Read the papers, or talk with a neighbor. There is no escape. We are not safe. We may attempt to avoid the news thinking that it kills us, but it does not. It is the silence that secures slaying.

People may question whether it is guns that kill or whether those who carry the weapons are the danger. Perhaps it is each, either, or neither. Some killers carry a knife. Others brandish a bomb. All harbor what hurts the most, emotional pain borne out of a society that simmers in silence, that separates us from our souls, that locks a family into routine, and never allows for what comes when we chat about what matters to us– an authentic connection. Denial and dodging are deafening. We choose to sublimate rather than communicate.

We count to ten to deaden the pain or to reduce the likelihood of an emotional response to anyone who raises the subject. That works well, or does it. Let us try it. Count the ways, the days, the persons in our profession lost to violence. If we are unwilling to discuss the daily death toll, can we at least look at the trends?

Our neighbors and children are blown away every minute. Our young may not live another day, week, month or year. Can we continue to live within our own quiet voids, or will we one day speak? We could continue to avoid the questions…Two teachers killed this week: How safe are US schools? and are we Numb to mass violence in America?

Or we could begin the conversation. Might we start by asking ourselves what we would you say if our loved one felt forced to plead, ‘Please don’t shoot’ or ‘It Was Just Too Many Shots’ How might we feel if our son or daughter said, “Mom, Dad, I don’t feel safe. I don’t want to go to school. I saw the news, Another teacher dies protecting students.

References and Resources…

Update


Mother: Stand Your Ground Empowered Man Who Killed Son
Lucy McBath says the man that shot and killed her son was empowered by the Stand Your Ground statue adding, “I am here to tell you that there was no ground to stand, there was no threat.”