A full week has passed now since the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people died, and our nation is once again grieving and trying to process how to move forward.
For most of us reading this, school shootings and absurd acts of violence have been an ongoing part of our childhood and young adult years. I remember being in grade school when the Columbine shooting happened in 1999. At that time, a violent shooting was shocking. But today when shootings happen, we tend to hear people say “Again?” and “When will this stop?”
Before we go any further, I want to make one thing clear: I’m not here to change your mind about any controversial politics. Just like you, I have pretty strong opinions about guns, mental health and levels of government involvement, but you don’t need to hear more opinions. I’m sure your social media has also become a dumpster fire of angry people yelling at one another. I’m convinced those “conversations” never lead to change, and sharing my opinion here would do no good. So I’m not outlining next steps or urging you to write your senator. Today, I want to offer a lifeline that we have to figure out together.
Matt Ehresman 