Something Creative
Today when I opened my Internet Explorer (I was at work….we don’t get to use Firefox) and the MSN headline stared me in the face….10 years since Columbine. Seeing that headline zapped me instantly across time. I was in my 1st year out of college back then. I don’t remember where I was when I heard but I remember clearly the images from that day. I remember the shocked faces, grieving over the senseless violence that shattered our whole nation that day. I remember the talking heads on television and the drivel they spouted. Everyone looked for a reason in this madness. Promises were made that it wouldn’t happen again. Politicians proclaimed this was a serious event & solutions would be found so no child, parent, community would suffer this loss again. The nation made vows that such tragedy would not strike against us again.
Of course it’s happened many times since then. Each incident another gash in our side, a tear in the fabric of our lives. We’ve seen it happen in Red Lake, Minnesota and again at Virginia Tech (and more places than I care to remember). Every time a piece of my heart broke too…How can you not look on such meaningless loss without being changed?
Those aren’t the only things we’ve seen…We’ve lost our innocence in so many ways. Since that terrible day we’ve seen a terrorist attack that devastated us & sent us into war. We still remember…it is impossible to forget. Our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends and strangers are giving their lives on foreign soil every day. We should never forget…It’s is the supreme sacrifice we have asked of them. They have answered the call.
Still we think it’s more important to fight over who is right & who is left. We have forgotten what it means to gather together, stand shoulder to shoulder & say in one voice…. WE THE PEOPLE. To hold our elected officials accountable to our voice. Instead the policitians have sold us out to the highest, sleaziest bidder. We bicker & lay blame rather than finding common ground. We tear ourselves apart & leave the carrion to be picked apart by our enemies.
Where has our self-respect gone? Where has that hand extended in friendship? Must we be so stubborn that our children are lost in the hue & cry we make? We ignore our most precious asset, shove them aside, push the blame from our own homes onto society. I don’t have answers but I know something is lacking deep within us. Accountablity to ourselves, to others, to our children in the face of society so willing to point outward when assigning blame. I say examine deep within yourself….take this time to grab hold of what is dearest & best. Lay aside the pettiness because your neighbor voted for “the other guy” whoever that may be…let’s put the protection of our future at the forefront of our lives. Truly embrace the lessons we should have learned 10 years ago; see how much better our world will be.
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