Monday, December 17, 2012

What will bring an end to these tragedies?

An image is not included in this post to respect the families involved.


Today we remember the children and adults of Newtown, CT.

20 of the town's children and 6 of the town's adults did not make it to see the evening of Friday, Dec 14th, 2012.  Others bravely and courageously became heroes that day.  And all are reeling from the unexpected grief and tragedy that has gripped the town.

President Obama, parent of a 14-year old and 11-year old, spoke to the town last night.  He stated that "we as a nation are left with some hard questions."  He is right about that.

We are asking why these things happen.  And we want to know what will bring an end to these tragedies.

Is this the result of evil?  Is mental illness to blame?  Are developmental disorders the cause?  Are violent video games the reason?  Is inadequate gun control at the source?  Are antisocial personality traits driving this?  Is bullying at the root?  Are assailants obsessed with how others have wronged them?  Is this brought on by a lack of religious expression in schools?  Are these isolated acts or the result of broader problems in society?

We want to know so we can understand.  And perhaps the simple fact that we are having the conversation will lead us to a better place.

We all want to see change.  Some say we should "do more" as a nation.  Others say should "be different" as a people.

Given the reality of these events, we can certainly do more to proactively derail future tragedies.

At the same time, perhaps we can search for ways to be different as a community of people.

Nonetheless, as we might have these conversations, we remember Newtown, CT.

President Obama personally thanked the First Responders of Newtown, calling them the "good guys."  We too offer our thanks to the Police, Fire and EMS in the Newtown area along with all who protect, serve and heal.

We offer our encouragement to the Teachers and Staff at Sandy Hook Elementary.

And we offer our thoughts, as well as our prayers, to the families of this tragic event.

Please share your thoughts and feedback on this related Facebook post.

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