My heart just aches after the recent mass shooting in California. What is it that makes people grab a gun and go on such a rampage? Last October I wrote a blog in response to the mass shooting in Oregon, and I pointed out there are many factors in play that lead to this kind of violence. What is most troubling, is the escalation of these incidents, as well as the escalation of terrorist attacks. We are quickly becoming a world of fearful people, and that is not healthy.
In response to the San Beradino shootings, the New York Daily News had this on the front page:
The page takes issue with the GOP presidential candidates who took the opportunity to offer platitudes in response to the violence, and while prayer can be a powerful weapon against evil, I agree that we need more than that. Prayer may help us cope with the trauma, but it does nothing to eliminate the cause.
There are many things that contribute to the violence: mental health issues, lax gun control, the glorification of violence in games and in the media, a breakdown of social values, and much much more. I outline a lot of them in more detail in my book Coping With Weapons And Violence in School and On Your Streets.
So I will offer a prayer for all the victims and their families that they can find peace and comfort. But I will also support political candidates who take on this significant issue with concrete plans to address the contributing factors.
And now on to something fun. First this meme that is appropriate as football season winds down:
The following was sent to me by a friend who is a teacher. It is not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is cute and has a neat message.
After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school.
One child wrote the following:
We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa.
They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Batemans Bay where everyone lives in nice little houses, and so they don’t have to mow the grass anymore!
They ride around on their bicycles and scooters and wear name tags because they don’t know who they are anymore.
They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now. They do exercises there, but they don’t do them very well.
There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on.
At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts!
Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night – early birds.
Some of the people can’t get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck.
My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too.
When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.
That’s it for me, folks. I am still having issues that limit my computer time, so I am off to rest those nerves in my neck that scream at me when I type too long. Hope you have a great weekend.
Hi Maryann, happy to find this. Loved the kid’s view.