At least 19 elementary students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 teachers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An 18-year-old gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, shot and killed the above at Robb Elementary School about 85 miles west of San Antonio, Texas. The children were in second, third, and fourth grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Absolutely awful. Absolutely evil. The killing of innocent life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lord, have mercy. God be with those families. Our hearts collectively grieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are at least five stages \u2014 five emotions \u2014 associated with grief. Originally dubbed the \u201cfive stages of death,\u201d Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth K\u00fcbler-Ross published her theory in 1969. The five most common emotional reactions to loss or grief are \u2014 in sequence \u2014 as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All are valid. None are easy. And as we continually learn to love our neighbor as ourself, we respect all where they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge becomes when we get stuck in a stage. With the exception of acceptance, \u201cstuckness\u201d in any of the above is presumably unhealthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sad as I wish to admit, I\u2019ve been there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many will rush to lash out\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c<\/em>This<\/em><\/strong> is the reason\u2026<\/em> this<\/em><\/strong> party is the reason\u2026 <\/em>this<\/em><\/strong> person is the reason\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure. I get it. It\u2019s easy to finger point. It\u2019s easy to politicize; it\u2019s easy to argue about who cares more about the totality of life. The first bottom line is that it\u2019s easy. <\/em>It\u2019s easy to hold someone else or something else completely responsible other than, the person responsible. It\u2019s easy.<\/em> None of us want this to happen any more! Again, Lord have mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be clear, we don\u2019t know\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know the motive\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know the gunman\u2019s mental health\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know what laws were broken\u2026 purchase, possession, immigration, etal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know what laws would have been effective\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don’t know how social media played a role…<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know why this elementary school\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know why he reportedly killed his grandmother first\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second bottom line is that we don\u2019t even know what we don\u2019t know.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When<\/em> we know \u2014 and when we are collectively out of the first four stages of grief \u2014 we can work to make such incidents less alluring to the evil or the sick. What laws would be most effective? What would actually deter the evil? [See link below.]<\/em> Friends, this isn\u2019t a Republican problem or a Democrat problem; disturbingly, this is a humankind<\/em> problem. If we could see it that way, maybe we could minimize the manifestation of this evil. This is no time to attempt to score political points; this is a time to be instruments of peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me humbly add one more tough topic. I am deeply uncomfortable with the brash retort encouraging forgoing of any thoughts and prayers; some use a different choice, crass \u201df\u201d word. I understand the impatience; it\u2019s a part of the grief \u2014 the undeniable horror. None of us want this to happen again. None; this is what it means to honor life. But when we forgo the unprecedented wisdom offered by the great big God of the universe \u2014 the One who knows each of us best \u2014 we only give way to continued human delusion, beguiled by the notion that we need no wisdom greater than we. With all due respect, perhaps it\u2019s precisely that forgoing that has allowed us to see this as a political issue, rather than an issue with all humankind… how evil can dwell in the actual heart of a human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need wisdom, friends\u2026 deeply… desperately… wisdom that\u2019s collective, not stuck in any stage, and not focused on the easy or the finger pointing or the politics\u2026 this is hard, grievous stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So in our grief, let\u2019s humbly do this. In honor of those 19 kids and teachers. May the evil killing of the innocent soberly prompt what is better and wiser in each of us. May we humbly start by moving forward together. It will be hard. But the hard is necessary and worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soberly\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n\n\n\n [P.S. For more on a potential, reasonable deterrent to mass shootings, consider this proposal by the articulate, highly respected, and always respectful, David French, advocating for the passage of “red flag laws” and scrutinizing what current law is ineffective and why. It is a wise read. Focused on solution. Together. https:\/\/frenchpress.thedispatch.com\/p\/pass-and-enforce-red-flag-laws-now?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0OTQ2ODY3LCJfIjoiL2hFR2QiLCJpYXQiOjE2NTM0ODE2NTcsImV4cCI6MTY1MzQ4NTI1NywiaXNzIjoicHViLTIxNzY1Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.2c-7bZiWvcN6o9E_9gDb_CceYnVanSNs5zc1d2RCQ5Q&s=r<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At least 19 elementary students. 2 teachers. An 18-year-old gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, shot and killed the above at Robb Elementary School about 85 miles west of San Antonio, Texas. The children were in second, third, and fourth grade. Absolutely awful. Absolutely evil. The killing of innocent life. Lord, have mercy. God be with … <\/p>\n