Now that the murdering of 17 students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, has more fully registered on us, most Americans remain stunned.
We are stunned that in this country of ours we still have a government that refuses to do anything about gun violence. The flimsy, tone deaf comments of politicians about this horror seem worthless. They are finally starting to talk about mostly cosmetic changes in the law but I’m skeptical of anything significant. We are stunned that our president has been mostly silent, unwilling or incapable of a simple sign of outrage over the senseless massacre of helpless teenagers at school. He is beginning to make gestures about passing new legislation, but I'm waiting to see if any changes are made. We are stunned that an organization like the NRA (National Rifle Association) has the unlimited power to dominate and control our elected legislators. We are stunned by our political leaders’ greed and their cowardice. We are stunned that life in this country, young life, any life, is so cheap and insignificant that the pointless, violent taking of it does not move us beyond a few flimsy calls for prayer. Which is cynical and pointless.
I have family members and friends who are gun owners. But they are not insane about it. They are responsible people who clearly understand the dangers and the deadliness of firearms. Nikolas Cruz knew nothing about this. He collected guns. He did some range shooting and supposedly worked with some White Supremacy group for “training.” But mostly, guns for him were weapons of power, viable threats in his hands to compensate for his overpowering feelings of self-loathing, dread, rejection, and deep, oppressive emotional pain. He was a screaming maniac online and around people he abhorred, a bully, a menace, and a threat, and yet no one in any role of authority did anything to get this tormented young man help or under control.
Some of the young school survivors of the killings are taking it upon themselves to do something. They are speaking out, sharing their outrage and their fears. Some adult politicians and others are dismissing them, belittling their efforts as naïve and fruitless, the simple bluster of youth looking for attention.
Not so fast. Politicians who ignore these outspoken, animated students do so at their own peril. Young people today are articulate, smart, and know more than anyone the vast influence of social media. Do not underestimate any of them.
And, good for them for wanting to at least do something. But how pathetic that it may take our children to finally get decent and fair gun legislation passed in this country. While some adults look down their noses at them in contempt and arrogance, these kids may very well be the catalyst to create legislation that saves lives.
Emerson, the wise poet, and essayist, once wrote, “Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”
For now, our country is in turmoil. We are violent, greedy, and indifferent to the basic characteristics that make us human. If we are to win the peace between one another that our nation desperately needs; if we are to cross some seemingly impossible barrier to the safety our children and our society deserve, then we have to win it on our own. It will not simply come to us. And as the adults in this conflict, we must praise and support these brave young people who are showing us the way.
The prophet Isaiah envisioned a time when the wild and the violent forces of nature would be tamed by the innocence of youth. He said, “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all” (Isaiah 11:6).
That may be the wild mirage of an ancient scribe, but it’s better than anything we have at the moment. And it’s a lot saner vision than our current Wild West gunslinging obsession we have deliriously accepted as our cultural norm.
© 2018 Timothy Moody
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