I’ve written before about the tragedy of school shootings, but the confluence of two news threads brought the subject to mind once again. Today is the 21st anniversary of the Columbine shootings in which twelve students and one teacher were killed by two armed students, who also died. That was not the first instance of such slaughter, but it marked the beginning of a trend in such shootings that eventually became so common they scarcely made the news.
The second thread was the recognition in the press that March was the first month since 2002 without a school shooting. Gun sales have grown during the pandemic we are facing, but schools have largely been closed. One could observe that the former must be deemed more important by society than the latter, but of course, our reality is more complex than a simple direct comparison might reflect.
Still, some reflection on priorities is timely and worthy. This pandemic, as tragic as it is, has also illustrated what we can do as one when we work together. Excluding fringe truthers and the unwitting or dimwitted, the world has worked as one to minimize the spread of the new coronavirus. The sacrifices, economic and social, made by many have been significant, and there are signs that those better able to weather the impact have been willing to help others in need. Of course, hoarding of toilet paper belies such a claim, but then you see instances of people leaving rolls out for delivery people, which counts for something.
So while we are sitting at home, perhaps we can let our minds wander a bit and imagine what other great things we might be willing to accomplish together with some effort, goodwill and sacrifices like those we are making. The environment comes to mind, but maybe we could start with something like keeping kids safe when they return to schools.
Here is my earlier post.
