The horrors we witnessed in Parkland took place a week ago this afternoon. For many of us, the tragedy is still fresh and frontal. For a few, those horrors will never end; that day in mid-February 2018 will define their existence.
I can’t imagine. And, we’ve seen it before – we’ll see it again. All of us, myself included, after the kids are in bed, are left with this question:
What do we do? What CAN we do?
In the coming days I’m gonna explore my thoughts and my feelings. I’m gonna think about what we can do, what I can do; if anything.
I’ve seen what seems like a never ending barrage of thoughts, and arguments, debate and anger. Rage. Despair.
And blame.
Which brings me to my point. As I, we, explore feelings and define the problems looking for solutions – I want to do so from a position of mutual acknowledgement. Namely that I love my kids, and yours, in the same manner that love your kids, and mine.
Period.
It’s likely, that as intelligent people with different histories and experience, we are going to arrive at separate conclusions after being exposed to the same body of facts. And that, THAT, has to be okay. It cannot be that those who shout loudest, most often and without regard to civility are allowed to carry the day. Neither can we allow the debate to devolve into that place where we question each other’s motives.
This is too important to us.