Thursday, December 20, 2012

End of the World

According to some, the Mayans predicted the end of the world would be tomorrow.  I think they were one Friday too late.

The world ended for so many last week.  For the lives of the 27 people killed in Newtown.  For the families and friends that have to figure out how to cope with their losses.  For the nation who sits, dumbfounded, wondering how this could happen.  Even though, since Columbine, there have been 31 school shootings, we are still shocked that this could of happened.  I'm ashamed to admit that when I first saw the headline that there was a school shooting last Friday, my first thought was, "Another one?"  I didn't feel shock and outrage.  But instead felt a surrendering of inevitability.  Like school shootings had become commonplace...because they had.  And with the mall shooting the week before and the Aurora shooting this summer, another school shooting didn't seem like such a surprise.  What a terrible thing to have become inured to. The age of the majority of the victims is what woke us up out of our stupor.  And it hurts even more that this is what it took.  People are angry.  People are devastated.  People are calling for change.  And I hope that change happens.  The world ended last week.  And now it's time to rebuild it.

I've been avoiding most of the coverage.  I can't handle the sadness that starts when I read or watch anything about the shooting.  But it's everywhere - Yahoo front page, Facebook posts, Twitter, every news broadcast...everyone is talking about it and it's nearly unavoidable.  And my attempts to avoid coverage means I'm thinking about it all the time.  A Hallmark commercial with a young child reading their list to Santa makes me cry.  Seeing parents with their kids while out shopping makes me cry.  Hearing "Grown-up Christmas List" while listening to carols makes me cry.  I don't know how those directly affected are making it through.  It's unimaginable and it should be.  No one should have to imagine coping with this.  This shouldn't have happened.

But it did.  So here we sit.

Even though I've been avoiding general media coverage, I have read/watched various things in the periphery of the tragedy.  Here are links to a few that you may have already seen but that I found hopeful or interesting:







If you have any other hopeful or interesting pieces that you would like to share, please leave a link in the comments.  

Tomorrow the NRA is holding a press conference.  Yesterday President Obama appointed VP Biden to lead the task force to reduce gun violence.  These are steps in what is sure to be a complicated recovery.  There will be much more that we learn in the coming weeks and much more controversy and discussion along the way.  One thing is certain:  It should never have come to this. 

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