Stopping the Insanity in our World Today: Defund Police?

This article was written before so much had happened in our nation. The tragedy of Columbine seemed to be just a foreshadowing of what was to come. Too many more school shootings (one more would have been TOO many) and shootings in public places have occurred.

Gun ownership is a hot topic. The purpose of this article is not to engage in a screaming match on the topic. My point is that the gun violence turned into to something much larger that has gotten out of control to the extreme. Violence of all types has become the new normal: almost daily we see tiny, neighborhood stores as well as mega-stores looted and the contents of the store strewn hither thither and yon. Fast food restaurants are not immune to such craziness. And, no acknowledgment that it has occurred by the powers that be. So if there is no punishment of any kind, thinks those doing it, then why stop. And what are we to do? There is no leadership (with very few exceptions) that is trying to stop this unbridled total disregard for others. I remember so vividly during the whole George Floyd incident when the stores were burnt to the ground. There was an elderly grandmother standing in the shadows, crying. There was her place to shop. She could walk to that store to get her bread and milk as needed. Now, it was gone.

So the implications of this incident had far reaching consequences. What was she and many like her? Collateral damage?? I think not. However, once that began and the looting and burning and violence occurred unchecked, it became (not to be redundant) the 'new normal.' And it is not normal. It is not ok. Our actions spread out like a tsunami, a ripple effect that is unwanted and uncontrolled.

O, here's an idea. Let's defund the police. That sounds like something that will teach those lawbreakers a lesson. No police to stop our violence. See how well that has worked!!

Without a doubt there are police men and women that are corrupt and should not be charged with helping to stem the tide of lawbreaking. Just like in all businesses and all levels of government, there are many who have no business wearing a badge and carrying a gun or being in positions of leadership of any kind. We have seen those in the official positions come tumbling down because of their corrupt behavior. But, I do believe that the majority of those who suit up daily in their uniform, strap on their gun, and head out are doing so because they wish to protect us. (I have encountered cases where such is not the case but I still want, HAVE, to believe that most really are in law enforcement for the good of our towns and cities and ultimately our nation). My heart aches every time I read of a police man or woman whose life was lost because they were just doing their job. It is a risky job on a daily basis. But they nevertheless put themselves in the street for us.

On April 10, 1999, I was sitting in a classroom with fourth grade students when a news bulletin came across the tv informing us of a shooting at a school in Littleton, Colorado. As the events unfolded we were told of the violent, unprecedented massacre that occurred there. It changed our lives forever.

A horrific event such as this shook us to the core. It could have been in any town, anywhere. It could have been our children, our children's children, our friends, anyone to whom we were connected. And it left us all devastated. Most of all those in the town who lost their precious children. And those who survived and wondered why.

And, it was our children that day....each one a part of our lives.

Liz Carlston a survivor of the Columbine massacre reached out to the community of Aurora reported the denverpost.com. Her message was simple and direct. She recounted what she went through after the shootings. She told how it impacted her life. The trouble she had sleeping, the unreality of her life, the struggle she had to regain control all were ways for her back to finding her life.

But her most important message was to tell the Aurora community that it would be okay. Hard words to her in a time so close to the tragedy. Impossible to believe.

How could anything ever be okay again? But it is a life choice. Take what is left and begin anew. A bit at a time until everything begins to make sense again. But even as I write those words, I wonder....how can it ever make sense again for those who face this most horrendous act? How can anyone find the strength to go on? But each one of them will. Because of the faith that somehow it is up to us to continue living for those whose lives were cut short in such a violent, insane way. All the while knowing and remembering that God is with us each step of the way. There is evil in the world but our faith is stronger than that evil and God will carry us through these darkest hours.

I cannot imagine the pain, the horror of it all. I cannot say I understand how they feel. I have lost family and friends to illness but never to a sudden, senseless, violent extinction of life. It must be the most painful kind of loss. Coming to terms with it must take deep soul searching and much patience with your own self and with others.

As I often say, I am sending Angels and God's peace to each one of the families whose lives have been torn apart. And to each member of the community who is ripped apart by such depravity, the same Angels and prayers are being sent.

This reminds us once again....every single day is a gift....we must never for one minute take for granted the time we have to walk this planet, to hold onto and love each person who is precious to us.

Jacob's Aunt cried as she apologized for the actions of her nephew. She wept as she explained her sorrow for those who had died or were injured she shared on CNN.com.

She went on to say that Jacob's future had been bright. He had planned to become a Marine and then he suffered an injury which barred him from joining the Marine Corps. And, after that, she said, his life became a downward spiral. He seemed to have lost purpose, she added.

So, in his wake, those who families left without loved ones, those friends and families scarred forever more, there too was one more victim. An Aunt longing to understand and to try to somehow make sense of why someone she loved had gone so wrong.

Families and friends were out for a night of entertainment. These families and friends had gone out for a midnight screening of "Dark Knight Rises. They were out that evening to enjoy a movie together and maybe a bite to eat afterwards at a restaurant that probably would stay open late to welcome them.

And the unthinkable happens. A shooter takes away the lives of a dozen....no, took the lives of a dozen and the sanity, at least temporarily, of dozens more...their families and friends and those who were there lost a huge part of their belief that all is well in the world.

Again, I cannot imagine this. It is worse than any horror movie I have ever witnessed. It is beyond the realm of what I expect to happen. I expect for life to go on and be calm and blissful. That is the way it is supposed to be. Isn't it supposed to be that way? Should I get up every day, fearful and afraid ? Should I expect the worst to happen every day? Surely not. I do not live my life that way ....most of us do not.

I cannot wrap my head around such thoughts. I read of these horrendous happenings. I know they happen and it rips away a piece of my heart every time it happens. My grandchildren are living in this scary world. Am I to tell them of these horrible things and make them fearful? What answers can I give that make sense?

Here it is. What we say over and over. We must relate to each other peacefully, one individual at a time. One at a time we make a difference. That does not mean you are best friends with everyone and the world walks off blissfully into the sunset. It just means that we make an effort to understand the other person's point of view whether we agree with it or not. It means that we hear their point of view and in turn expect them to hear ours---and that we listen to what the words are saying. We can then translate this into meaning for our lives so that through greater understanding we can peacefully coexist. And, we look for sanity in our words and actions.

Again, families and friends out to shop and enjoy the festive time of the year. And, a shooter appears on the scene and all is not calm. It is not a silent night, but a fearful night. And it was reported that more would have been killed had the shooter's gun not jammed.

It gave time people time to get themselves and others to safety. Praise God for that. People helping people. We are all in this together. Together we can make a difference. There are many heroes in that story that we will never hear about..but rest assured they were there and they do not call themselves heroes. They did what they did to help each other because it was simply the right thing to do....one person relating to another at a most personal level, a modicum of peace amidst the danger.

My heart is now in a million pieces. I taught school for 40 years and half of those years was in elementary school I only retired in the fall of 2011 due to illness in my family. So when I heard of the shootings at the elementary school in Connecticut today my mind flashed to East Marion Elementary School where I taught for eight years. Tingles ran up my spine as I thought of them and the knowledge ....no, it is too horrible to think so surely I cannot write the words.

As I was out today my daughter called me to tell me. I had already seen a little blurb about a shooting on CNN before I left home but no details were forth coming. As she told me, it brought this sorrow so close to home. Because I had been teaching when Columbine happened and now because these were babies. My heart aches. There are no words that can make this better. Only time will heal the pain.

All I can think of is the horror, the pain, the devastation the families and friends and survivors must feel. Again I cannot wrap my head around what has happened. I keep asking how can it be? And over and over wherever I went today, I heard people ask, WHY?

And there is never an answer. There is never an answer that makes sense or is good enough. One report I read stated that the shooter targeted his Mother's classroom as she taught at the school As the days unfold we will hear all kinds of speculation and theorizing. And will it change anything? Will it bring back one life? Will it calm the fear the children feel?

And this Christmas surely will be one filled with sorrow but I imagine that Christ's birth will be more the focus for so many this year. A way to find the peace that each family and our nation will be seeking.

The unopened packages will be reminders of the loss. The trips that were planned will not be taken. The families and friends will be planning and attending funerals. So a cloak of sadness will fall over this town and they will grieve.

But I know that we Americans are survivors. And I know that they will find peace in the days and weeks ahead. But they must grieve. It is essential to recovery. And they will. And they will come out of this strong and wanting answers.

I am usually Pollyanna but Pollyanna has hidden in a closet for a bit to try to sort through this nightmare that has replayed before her eyes. My mind sees a new day about to dawn and wonders if all that has happened in the last few hours was real or some wretched, horrid nightmare. Can it be so? And, I know sadly that it is real and wonder what can I say or do to make a difference? I will not remain in the closet, be assured of that. I will come out and keep on harping about this until more attention is focused on how to prevent massacres in our communities. There is no quick or easy solution, of that I am aware.

I am sending cards and emails to the town of Newtown for what little good that may do. I just HAVE to do SOMETHING. These are our children...this is our loss. My mind so often goes back to John Donne's words....

Therefore ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. Truly, as he said, No man is an island entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.

We are all connected whether we want to believe it or not. The loss of one of us diminishes each of us.

One more outrageous act that has devastated families, stolen innocence from the young survivors, and the older ones as well, and shaken our nation once again to its fiber.

This insanity has got to stop....if people want to die, die and be done with it, and leave the innocents alone That may sound crass and cynical and unfeeling and I guess at this moment, I feel this way....Maybe I will change my feelings at some later time...I doubt it though...

The sadness forever surrounding Christmas for these families is unimaginable.....They will get through it but in the mean time there will be long, dark nights, as they struggle to grieve and recover and make sense---no, there is no sense to make of it.

It is insanity when anyone can take a gun and go into a known safe place and go on a rampage. When I was still teaching I would say to my children, this is a safe zone.

Now if I were to return to the classroom and say those words even to very young children, their reaction would probably be, Is it really safe, Ms. Scott? Can you promise me?

And I would no longer have the same confidence that it is indeed a safe zone.

Are we really safe anywhere today?

Wanting answers. yes, I would want answers too. Could this have been prevented? That is the first question I would ask. And the answer may come out in the next few weeks or even sooner.

Knowing the answer to that question will make a difference. Whatever the answer, finding a way to keep it from happening again would be what we all would hope will happen. We think every time something like this happens that we will find a way to see that no one loses their life again in such senseless acts. But somehow it continues to happen.

And part of me thinks, someone who really wants to kill others will find a way. I do not mean to sound cynical because really I am a very positive person. I hope that we can come up with some foolproof method to stop the insanity. I often say that if I am not part of the solution then I am part of the problem. In this case, I am not part of the solution because I have no clear cut answers as to how to stop this kind of massacre from hitting another town.

It makes me be more alert and aware of my surroundings for sure. Ready to react to something I consider suspicious even at the risk of seeming a bit wacky. But that is not enough. We all need to be alert and aware and watch each other's backs.

This has to stop. We need to watch for signs in behavior. When someone's behavior changes dramatically, we need to intervene somehow, someway. When behavior changes dramatically it is a clue to us that perhaps some drastic action may be next. I am not a psychiatrist but I have read enough to know that we need to be more proactive. At the risk of being labeled a buttinski, we need to listen and watch and maybe be a vessel to avoid a tragedy in our own town. This is simplistic I know but it is us working together, watching out for our town.

Shooting innocent children, innocent me or women, is appalling and there is NO reason for this ever to happen. What can we do?

To reiterate: look for changes in behavior of your children and family members, even slight, barely noticeable changes. Withdrawn, angry, sullen or the opposite, euphoric.

Spend time with your children off of technology.

Do family activities to together....

Bring family time back into your home. Get to really know each other.

And if you discover something disturbing in someone, get help.