In the days that have followed the recent Florida school shooting, thoughts and opinions have not stopped swirling around in my head. *Partially because anytime I go on Facebook I am reminded of what happened... and opinions and ideas are shoved down my throat....* But I have restrained from stating my thoughts and opinions because I think Facebook is a dumb place to do that (for me). Most of the things I see on Facebook, I don't take seriously anyway and the people whose opinions I actually care about, I can talk to in person and we can have a real discussion where hiding behind a screen isn't an option. (I learned during the election when I WAS posting my opinions that I didn't like the feeling of being attacked by people who often weren't really my friends anyway.)
Anyway...
But I feel like I need to share my thoughts on this... if not to just appease my own brain from continuously thinking about these things. So before you read any further, just know that this is how i feel. Its not right and it's not wrong. It just is what it is. So if you disagree, that is fine.
Okay.
In school we not only had fire drills, but we also had lock down drills. We had bomb threat drills. I remember one time specifically in high school, we actually had a bomb threat and we spent basically the whole day chilling on the football field.
I grew up in Idaho. Where hunting is HUGE. Little boys often get BB guns for Christmas at age 6. And then by age 12, they are taking Hunter's Safety and manning their own 22, bringing home their own kills to share with their families.
Guns were normal. Guns were a part of my culture and my redneck hometown. They were just a part of life.
It wasn't until I was older and more educated and opinionated that I realized that guns can actually be a real threat. It didn't occur to me when I was growing up that anyone would take a gun that was used to hunt game and intentionally harm another person. Who would do that? And why?
I am now a special education elementary school teacher. I interact with students in K-6th grade. I see how these students act on a daily basis. I see how they REACT to other students. I know what they think about, how they feel about things, and what they hope to achieve in life. I see what their passions are, both negatively and positively. And I see how the environment around them affects them. You would be shocked at how many 4th grade students are already involved in gang activity. You would not believe how many Kindergarten students are already being bullied by other Kindergarten students. As a teacher, I do my best to teach kindness and understanding and love...
But there is only so much I can do. Teaching kindness and acceptance has to start at home, but in a world where cyber bullying and intolerance is so prevalent... I don't think that happens as often as we would like to believe. We, as adults, hide behind our computers and shame others for what they believe and think on social media. We make mean and demeaning comments when we see something we disagree with, without any hint of warmth in our "online tone". We refuse to try and understand the point of views of others and instead indulge in bullheadedness and use unkind words to express ourselves.
We forget that our children see our actions and mimic them. They see the way we respond in frustrating situations and the way we treat people when we are upset and how can we blame them? They are simply following the lead of the adults they see in their lives. Then, when they grow up to act the same way, we are surprised and confused.
We live in a world where violent video games are normal. Where killing other people in a video game is the goal. I have a first grade student who loves Call of Duty. He's 6.
We must teach our children the things we wish to teach society. Kindness. Forgiveness. Communication. Acceptance. Love. And all the other good things that we can teach them. That is how we will solve the issue of these mass shootings. That is how we will begin to change the world.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
I believe that people are inherently good. I believe that most people are doing the best they can with the life and trials they have been given. And we need to recognize that in one another. Yes, it's easy to get frustrated and upset, but how we choose to REACT to those emotions really dictates who we are.
Now.....
I'm not saying that we don't have a gun problem. Those who go on shooting rampages should not own guns and I think there should be a stronger vetting process for who is allowed to purchase and own them. I also think that there is no good reason that a civilian should own a semi-automatic weapon. However, I believe that banning guns is not the answer. The founding fathers gave us the right to bear arms and protect ourselves for a reason. And since when did making things illegal or hard to access make people stop using those things? (i.e. alcohol in the 1920s, or basically any drug)
Simply taking away the 2nd amendment will just leave those who are legally carrying weapons without a way to defend themselves against those whom are illegally carrying them.
Okay.
Let me say again... You may disagree with everything I said. But I said it, and it's out there and that's how I feel. Basically, if we teach our kids to be good people, and are examples of being good people, they will be good people.
The End.
