Horrified

While I have not used this blog much to commentate on current events (other than current fashions), in light of recent events I feel compelled to give my $.02.  

On Friday, December 14 in Newtown, CT, the lives of 20 children were taken along with the innocence of thousands and thousands more across the nation.  We will never understand why; even if the shooter had not taken his own life I cannot begin to comprehend what it is like to be in such a dark and lonely place.  Shootings like this have occurred before - recently, and all too often.  But somehow this one is more poignant, more emotionally loaded because so many children were pointlessly targeted.

I hope to be a mother some day, and all I wish for is the ability to bring my future children into a world where I can reasonably expect to keep them safe.

"This is our first task — caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be judged.
And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we're all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we're truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?
I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We're not doing enough. And we will have to change.

~ President Obama, Sandy Hook Elementary Prayer Vigil 

But exactly what changes need to happen?  What more can we do as a nation to give our children a fighting chance to live in a safe, yet realistic world?  To maintain the right to a real, impactful childhood that isn't slowly invaded and suffocated by the evil of the world that surrounds us?

Following the tragedy (and by following I mean mere HOURS afterwards), the mediaverse exploded with angry demands for stricter gun control.  If gun control is taken more seriously, if more stringent laws are put in place, if the whole process is better regulated, surely we can avoid future tragic events like this one.  In theory, yes, that stance makes perfect sense.  Stricter gun laws = better regulation of who owns what weapons = less crime. 

But wait a minute.  Let us not forget the most disturbing piece of this whole puzzle:  the shooter used his own mother's gun, which was LEGALLY purchased.  He stormed and broke his way in to the school, which required guests to be buzzed in and had security protocols in place, and carried out this heinous attack.  I truly believe that better gun control laws would not have prevented this.  The shooter was going to do what he was going to do and nothing was going to stop him. I'm not pretending that I have the solution, but I think it is dangerous for the nation to get caught up and distracted by a debate over gun control at this time.  A debate that has been circling around Congress for decades but never resolved.  There are other issues (mental illness, for one) that need addressing here, and if they are ignored while we continue to figure out the same old song and dance once and for all, the same problems will find a way to slip through even supposedly air tight legislation.

We, as a nation need to pause.  We need to mourn.  Process.  Digest what has happened.  If we keep pushing forward, if politicians rush to use this event to nudge their agendas forward without missing a step, we have failed.  Sometimes it is not always the healthy thing to continue on like nothing has happened.  We focus so desperately on restoring normalcy as quickly as possible when something like this happens, when we really need to take the time to learn from our mistakes.  

As parents we would do anything to shield our children from harm.  We protect them, keep them in a bubble as the world closes in around us.  And what has that done?  Created a society of anxious, depressed, angry people who are taught to blame others for their difficult situations.  Yes, our little worlds need to keep functioning.  We need to keep getting up in the morning, keep loving our children, and keep trusting that they will be safe when they leave home.  But we need to do so with an awareness of what the "new normal" of our world is.  We are not doing enough.  And we will have to change.