Be sad, get angry, then act

Posted

Two days last wee I drove home from work drenched in tears.

First, learning of another mass shooting, then hearing the pain of those people who lost sons, daughters, friends and co-workers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 14.

Then, I cried for the parents who didn’t know if their children were alive, I cried for the children who died and survived (imagine the trauma), I cried for the adults who lost their colleagues and I cried because it could have been my daughter’s school and I cried because my son, a volunteer firefighter and a certified emergency medical technician, who is training to be a professional paramedic and wants to be a police officer, could be responding to such an incident.


I don’t know what causes these incidents of mass destruction to life nor do I know how to cure it, but I do know one thing: if we don’t band together to stop it, it never will.

Don’t rail against the National Rifle Association for its promotion of guns, aim to educate children that firearms are not toys and violence is not a response to a problem. Any problem! Do not recoil from telling adults that young people need guidance and life is not a movie or a video game — people most likely could die when shot.

Don’t just say that mental health care needs to be funded. Write your elected officials. Walk into their offices and tell them your concerns. Don’t threaten them with withholding your vote from them; work with them to advocate effectively, join an established organization or a grassroots group.

Don’t blame schools for a lack of security. Go to a school board meeting and ask if there is money in the budget for more security. Ask what the school or school district does now that could be improved. Ask how you could help.

This is the time to be sad, get angry and then act to stop the violence.

Have a reaction to this column? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.