Why?
Horrific things like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School happen and people ask "Why???!!!"
Why here?
Why us?
Why these innocent lives?
Why now?
Why at all?
Why didn't someone stop it?
Why didn't someone know?
Why did he....?
All these are valid questions. All heartbreaking.
I have questions of my own.
Why does it take something like this happening for communities to come together for the good of their children?
Why, after events like these, do we hug our children a little tighter, hold them a little closer, and tell them we love them more - why aren't we doing that every day anyway?
Why, in a culture that teaches and promotes violence - through video games, movies, media, and otherwise - are we surprised when something like this happens? Why don't we teach peace and understanding instead?
Why do some of us jump on the political bandwagon within moments of the news instead of allowing the families time to mourn ... instead of finding ways to meet the immediate needs of all touched by this tragedy?
Why do we tend to put all the blame on the gunman and his mother, and not so much on our culture, our society, or systems of education and healthcare that don't work for everyone?
Why does it take an event like this to push us to perform random acts of kindness? Shouldn't we help make the world a better place every day?
Why do we at first not only feed into the media blitz, but spread unconfirmed "news" via social media?
Why so we feel the need to know every detail of what happened and every opinion about every aspect of that day? Why not instead turn off the tv, the radio, the computer, and tune in to our families? None of us needs to relive the sights of that day, especially not our children, and you can get a concise report on any news station's website in minutes instead of spending hours reliving the horror.
Why do we torture ourselves with the what-ifs of the situation? No one can change what happened. No one can go back and get the shooter the care he needed or the school the level of security they needed that day.
Why do we torture ourselves with the what-ifs of the future? No one can predict when or where something like this will happen again - and it doesn't just happen in schools. It happens in stores, on military bases, in homes, in parks, etc.
Why do we care more about being right than doing the right thing?
Why is it more difficult and more expensive to get mental health care than it is to get a gun?
Why do we light only 26 candles? Mourn only 26 victims? Isn't all life precious? The shooter's mother was murdered - why not light a candle for her? The shooter was so lost, so broken, that he did the unthinkable and then took his own life - why not light a candle for him?
Why do we try to honor the victims with hatred for the killer? Hate accomplishes nothing. Hate changes nothing for the better.
Let love win. Let love change the way we act, the way we treat people - all people - the way we think about mental healthcare, community, and family.
If you need to ask why, ask why we don't care more for our neighbors and ourselves. Why we don't love more, give more, and help more. Why we need something like this to happen to care.
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| Why do stock photos of school children standing in line at school elicit such strong emotions? |
Why us?
Why these innocent lives?
Why now?
Why at all?
Why didn't someone stop it?
Why didn't someone know?
Why did he....?
All these are valid questions. All heartbreaking.
I have questions of my own.
Why does it take something like this happening for communities to come together for the good of their children?
Why, after events like these, do we hug our children a little tighter, hold them a little closer, and tell them we love them more - why aren't we doing that every day anyway?
Why, in a culture that teaches and promotes violence - through video games, movies, media, and otherwise - are we surprised when something like this happens? Why don't we teach peace and understanding instead?
Why do some of us jump on the political bandwagon within moments of the news instead of allowing the families time to mourn ... instead of finding ways to meet the immediate needs of all touched by this tragedy?
Why do we tend to put all the blame on the gunman and his mother, and not so much on our culture, our society, or systems of education and healthcare that don't work for everyone?
Why does it take an event like this to push us to perform random acts of kindness? Shouldn't we help make the world a better place every day?
Why do we at first not only feed into the media blitz, but spread unconfirmed "news" via social media?
Why so we feel the need to know every detail of what happened and every opinion about every aspect of that day? Why not instead turn off the tv, the radio, the computer, and tune in to our families? None of us needs to relive the sights of that day, especially not our children, and you can get a concise report on any news station's website in minutes instead of spending hours reliving the horror.
Why do we torture ourselves with the what-ifs of the situation? No one can change what happened. No one can go back and get the shooter the care he needed or the school the level of security they needed that day. Why do we torture ourselves with the what-ifs of the future? No one can predict when or where something like this will happen again - and it doesn't just happen in schools. It happens in stores, on military bases, in homes, in parks, etc.
Why do we care more about being right than doing the right thing?
Why is it more difficult and more expensive to get mental health care than it is to get a gun?
Why do we light only 26 candles? Mourn only 26 victims? Isn't all life precious? The shooter's mother was murdered - why not light a candle for her? The shooter was so lost, so broken, that he did the unthinkable and then took his own life - why not light a candle for him? Why do we try to honor the victims with hatred for the killer? Hate accomplishes nothing. Hate changes nothing for the better.
Let love win. Let love change the way we act, the way we treat people - all people - the way we think about mental healthcare, community, and family.
If you need to ask why, ask why we don't care more for our neighbors and ourselves. Why we don't love more, give more, and help more. Why we need something like this to happen to care.
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