Citizens in a Global World

There are so many things to say when tragedy strikes. I do not have the words or the eloquence to say them. I will leave that to those who are better wordsmiths than I. The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School on 12/13/12 will be remembered and immortalized by poets, storytellers, and songwriters far better than I ever could. What I express today is an idea: a thought that has been spinning around in the back of my mind for some time that a tragedy like this finally forces me to put into words. In Russia, in 2004, a similar event unfolded at an elementary school when armed terrorists took over a school and held children hostage. In the end, over 300 children died. I remember watching images of parents holding their surviving children while other parents who's children did not survive wept or fainted or stood numb with shock and grief. I see those same images today on the faces of parents and children in Connecticut. What strikes me in the midst of these tragedies are the similarities. First, that evil, sick, twisted people will hurt anyone they can. There will always be sickness, there will always be evil, but there is a special kind of evil that hunts down and hurts children. There is a special place in prison for people who hurt or abuse kids and I think there might be one in hell too (not sure about the theology of that but Jesus did have extra strong words for people who hurt children). As individuals, as a nation, and as as global society, we need to find ways of confronting and preemptively stopping aggression against children. Perhaps, like the U.K., it is time for nations to make it illegal and impossible to own firearms. Perhaps it is time for only police and military to have these weapons. I know its an impossible dream given the state of the world, but we are citizens of a global world and we need to start acting like it. If there are people (arms dealers) or places (Ethiopia) that aid and promote the indiscriminate use of weapons, maybe it is time for our world to step up and take action. This might mean more violence initially - but in the end it may just be worth it if our children actually get to grow up. Or, we can sit back and talk about how terrible this type of tragedy is, or how it is my right to own 75 automatic weapons, and never do anything about it because, thank God, it didn't happen to my kids. Second, that no matter where you live or who you pledge allegiance to or pray to, we are all connected in ways that beliefs and creeds can not ultimately divide. We are all humans. We all love and laugh and work and sleep and try as best we can to provide protection and a better life to those we love. Whether you live in Serbia or Sweden, Canada or Chile, there is something deep inside us that makes us want to protect our kids. When I see parents on the news half way around the world overcome with grief at the senseless death of their child, I get it. Suddenly it doesn't matter if they are Muslim or Christian, Republican or Democrat, Communist or Capitalist. They are parents just like me, they are humans just like me, they feel anguish and pain and hurt, just like me. They loved their kids, just like me. We are all in this together and it is about time we started to act like it. Sting once famously sang "I hope the Russians love their children too" and I believe they do. I believe we all do. Third, it is time for change. It is time to change how we educate our children, not just here, but around the world. Children need to learn that violence is not the answer. Children need to know that while we may grow up with different values and beliefs, we do share more common values than disparate ones, and one of those values is a deep respect for life. Then, as adults, we need to model this to the children of the world. Rather than our fists, guns, tanks, bombs, and missiles being the currency of negotiation or the final solution to unsolvable situations, we need to pursue compassion, solutions that allow all parties to find common ground, and ruthlessly and relentlessly track down those who defy these things. It isn't Utopia, and it never will be, but it is better than watching another tragedy like this unfold on our television screens (or maybe in our own lives) knowing that we could have done something about it as a global world but instead chose to do nothing.....again.