A lot on my mind lately concerning my profession. I won't lie, I am feeling the weight of things. A few weeks ago I received the sad news that one of my former students at FFCA passed away. This is the second student from FFCA in two months that has unexpectedly passed away, the second funeral for a former student in two months. This last one hit particularly hard for me as she was the very first student at FFCA that I met. I spoke to her mother at the funeral. We hugged and wept together, both of us being overcome with pain and grief. This makes four students I knew that have died suddenly during my 15 years of teaching (there may be others, as we lose touch, but these are the ones I know of). It pains me to say good-bye to these young souls who have been taken at such a young age. Sometimes these deaths are accidental, sometimes self-inflicted, and sometimes it's just how life kicks at us.
Add to that yet another school shooting in the US where 17 students and teachers were gunned down in a place that is supposed to be safe. This happened February 14th. Happy Valentine's Day. The worst thing about this is that when this happened, I honestly just slumped in my desk, asked myself why this happened, and then went about my day. It didn't hurt me anymore. I have become numb to the whole ordeal. Someone takes a gun, kills a whole bunch of people, and we mourn. Politicians and citizens act in outrage. Victims are buried, their families are comforted, and arguments heat up. And then it all goes away. The families of the victims find themselves alone, rebuilding after their devastation, the politicians go find another crowd to shake hands with, more guns are sold, and nothing really changes. Political jockeying continues and nothing really changes. Late night talk show hosts make more sense than government leaders, we get a few chuckles to satiate our outrage, and nothing really changes. And that is what I was thinking would happen here. More of the same, and nothing really changes.
It frustrates me that people appear to love guns more than lives. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary I remember people saying that their rights to own whatever kind of weapon trumps the dead. It sickened me then, and sickens me now. Common sense has been replaced with paranoia. Some fear that a ban an assault rifles will lead to all guns being taken from every citizen of the free world. Ludicrous. That is not what is being proposed. I have yet to have one valid argument for needing assault rifles. They are not for hunting, they are not for protection, they are not for any useful purpose. People just like to shoot them. That's it. Coupled with some insane theory that the government wants to subject them, and people are rabid over their right to own military-style weaponry that has only been designed to kill as many people as possible. And this attitude is ingrained in the heart of America. It has burrowed its way into the psyche and seems to have no hope of getting out. It's not like there is a lack of evidence that shows that when a mass shooting happens, and some important gun laws are enforced, that the shootings decrease. Just look at the UK and Australia as examples of this. Nobody there has had their freedoms curtailed, and fewer people are being killed at concerts, schools, and workplaces. But evidence, logic, and reason do not seem to mean much.
I get having a rifle to hunt. I get having a handgun to protect your home. I even get that there needs to be more on background checks, mental health, and reaching out to those who have been ostracized. I get the reluctance of millions of law-abiding gun owners, who use their weapons responsibly, and who do not want to be punished for the actions of a few madmen. I get that the solution to this does not lie solely in the realm of tougher gun laws, yet if we refuse to incorporate this piece of the puzzle into the solution, then it will forever be incomplete. There will be more mass shootings, more senseless deaths, and the cycle will continue in an endless loops until we destroy ourselves.
And yet I think back to the students that I have lost. No, none of them died from gun violence. They were car accidents, drug use, and suicide. I mourn for them and I have seen how those who love them are torn apart inside with grief and anguish. I can only assume that the families of the victims of this recent shooting feel much the same. I know that more can be done, and yet people just don't want to do it. It really doesn't seem like things are going to change much...again.
And yet, this time there is something new. This time, the students of Florida are standing up to the political leaders and to the NRA and to those who seem intent on sending "thoughts and prayers" to the victims and avoid discussing the problem. This time, the students are demanding a change. This time, the students are claiming that they have been failed enough. Their teachers and parents are standing with them. The nations are taking notice The students are making their voices heard and they are not going to stop until everyone has heard them. When someone tries to pass them off as "crisis actors", they students are shouting them down. When the trolls of the internet try to bully them into silence, the students are trolling them right back. It is very refreshing to see.
I'm not saying that what this movement is demanding is necessarily the right thing here, although I agree with a lot of what they are saying. I'm also not saying that this will lead to any meaningful change, although I would love it if it did. What I am saying is that the students are making their voices heard, and that is a good thing. This students are tired of being failed by us older folks, and they want better. Instead of sitting back and wait for the next school shooting, they are going to try to do something about it.
I love it.
I have said before that thoughts and prayers do indeed have merit, value, and even power, but I also have said that if all you do is offer thoughts and prayers, then you are not doing enough to help remedy the situation. I am overjoyed with how these youth are demanding something change, and this is how it happens. Whether or not anything changes right now is irrelevant to me. All I can say is that despite the heaviness of the last few weeks, I am encouraged to see the leaders of tomorrow stepping up to the plate.
This time, maybe we will have some real results.
