“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Marie Curie
How can we possibly understand an 18-year-old who walks into an elementary school and guns down 19 children and 2 teachers?
How can we understand entire groups of people driven from their homes and properties, beaten, or murdered, because of their nationality, their skin color, or their religion?
How can we understand locks on the store cabinets to “prevent shoplifting” in the minority areas of town, but not in the “more affluent” areas?
It would seem, in fact, that there are many things in life to be feared that cannot be understood. So what are we to do?
I believe the wrong questions are being asked, and as a result the wrong answers are being arrived at.
Instead of asking why was an 18-year-old allowed to buy a gun why aren’t we asking why the 18-year-old wanted to buy the gun? And even more importantly, what led to the 18-year-old buying the guns to slaughter 21 innocent children and teachers?
Clearly locks on store cabinets doesn’t fall anywhere close, but I included it to make a point. What if we asked the right questions at the right times? What if we asked the right questions when issues are small?
I remember a few weeks ago I was in Walmart with a shopping cart full of various items. I went into the department, which we jokingly call the prison, with all the locked cabinets to buy shampoo and waited about 5 minutes (it felt like 15) for someone to unlock and free my favorite brand. I then waited in a long line as it was a requirement to purchase the shampoo before leaving that department. No problem. I could just pay for everything there.
When I arrived at the checker, he looked into my cart and informed me that I could pay for everything except the fresh fruit and vegetables. I would have to pay for those items at the other checkout because he couldn’t weigh them. I had enough! I jerked my cart out of line, loudly crashed it into the exit stile, and said to my husband, “come on, we’ll pay for it all out there!” We exited the Health and Beauty Department, with the contraband shampoo I might add, and stormed to the main check out where we paid for our entire purchase.
Once again, I know this is just a little thing, nd doesn’t come close to the evil that happened in Uvalde, Texas, but look at the what ifs.
What if this had been an 18-year-old young black man who had been driving the speed limit to get to Walmart but had been pulled over by the police because his left brake light was out. Then he was followed through the store just to make sure he didn’t take anything or cause any trouble. Yes, it happens!
What if a 5 ft 140 pound 4th grader was bullied by a 3-1/2 ft 45 lb. 2nd grader on a daily basis until one day he pushes the little kid down. Yes, it happens!
What if a couple of children are left at home when their mother leaves for work. The older child is responsible for getting her little sister up, ready for school, and fed while they wait for the bus, and is threatened to not tell. Yes! It happens!
What if a father is refused custody of his children, not because Mom is the better parent, but because he is a man in a county/state that gives custody to the mother – even when she has a history of abuse. Yes! This, too, happens!
Are we asking the right questions before the real tragedies happen? Or will we wait until 21 more young lives are lost before we start.