Peace In The Margins

Words have power.

And while I don’t disagree, that in the aftermath of the devastating, rage-inducing, numbing emotions that are overtaking so many humans following yet another school shooting, action is needed – I also believe words have power.

Words have the power to heal. Words have the power to bring hope. Words have the power to elicit action.

This is where I have pause, because as a writer, the power of action-causing words is scary. President Reagan played a major role in the tearing down of the Berlin Wall with one line from a world famous speech. Yet decades earlier an entire race of people were almost wiped from this planet because one man was able to call to action an evil mission from his eloquent use of words.

Humanity must take heed that in the aftermath of a tragedy, we aren’t using words to push an “agenda.” Gun control or gun rights. Armed school security or gun-free zones. Homeschooling, public schooling, or private schooling. Republican or Democrat.

The reality is at this very moment, the parents of these murdered children don’t give a damn about political agendas or personal missions. They are sitting in an empty child’s bedroom wishing for one more day. They are holding a favorite stuffed bear desperately longing to hear their baby’s laughter once again. They are standing in front of a mirror wondering what could they have done different to protect their now dead son or daughter.

And don’t forget the two teachers who when faced with a helpless situation, valiantly tried to protect their students. Husbands and children – mothers and fathers – are mourning them today. “They were heroes!” the voices on television say. Even in that spoken truth, those words fail to hit their intended target when the heart is broken.

So, what is the answer? What do we do now? I don’t know. I don’t have THE ANSWER, and I’m certain I am not alone.

What I do know, in the words of Margaret Atwood, “A word after a word after a word is power.” And…the old adage, “With great power comes great responsibility” still rings true.

We owe it to the memory of the victims of Uvalde, Parkland, Sandy Hook, West Nickel Mines, Columbine, and more…a list of heartbreak too long to fathom…to do better. We need to truly listen to each other, as both sides of the aisle have valid positions and the ability to move us toward an actionable plan. We have to stop playing the blame game.

What we do not need is the negative, tear-each-other-down rhetoric that “never wastes the opportunity of a tragic event” to push a personal or political agenda, which, in my personal opinion, is why we are mourning another 21 senselessly lost lives.