How do we respond to tragedy that seems so evil? In paradoxes. Anger and peace, resentment and kindness, actively trying to understand and passively accepting we never will.
Working in an Elementary School has enabled me to experience the reactions of colleagues, administrators, parents, and students. The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School has impacted us all. We have all cried as we watched the news- thinking of our own students and children. We have all been paralyzed by fear when we hear "lockdown" on the PA system, even as a routine drill. We have been brave when our students ask us with fear in their eyes about gunmen. We have been smart and logical by assessing our school security. We have been complacent in accepting we can only do so much. Most importantly, we have been resilient. We have a new found understanding of just how important it is for every child to feel unconditionally loved. Time and time again we hear on the news that those who open fire on campuses or public places are victims of bullying, loneliness, and low self-esteem. Many times the perpetrator has a disability that hinders him/her from having social relationships with others or academic success. They do not feel love, joy, and success.
We can feel extremely angry about it and want to seek revenge on whoever perpetrated this event. But when we are in our own safe environment, we feel peace and gratitude that our loved ones have not been affected by this tragedy. We can try our hardest to understand why someone would do this..after all, it is our duty to try to assess the broader sociological problem that is creating these scenarios of evil and violence. Yet, likewise it is also our obligation to show up to work everyday and try to "forget about it". We can redesign our school security systems, yet we know that a person's will to create havoc can't be stopped by anything. We can feel hatred towards whoever murdered innocent children. Or we can fill our hearts with kindness towards every single person we meet. Our reactions to such a tragic event are undeniably paradoxical. Sometimes all our emotions and thoughts can be overwhelming.
The scary thought is that none of us have the ability to know someone's deepest darkest thoughts. We do not know if the isolated and belligerent student at school is having suicidal thoughts. We do not know if the rude and angry employee at our grocery store is planning a violent attack. We have to prevent anyone from having such thoughts by being outwardly kind to EVERYONE. One act of kindness can affect numbers of people- even by being a witness to it.
A couple weeks ago I was at a concert and heard the Alternate Routes perform a song called, "Nothing More". The lead singer talked about the meaning of the song before the band played it. The song was created in response to an effort to support the non-profit organization, Newtown Kindness. It brought tears to my eyes as I heard the song. The song itself expresses the same sort of paradox of emotions as I described above. It starts off melancholy and dark, and turns upbeat and light. I felt a sense of autonomy as I listened to the lyrics. We can change the world by how we act everyday. We can all be heroes.
Here are the lyrics below. Listen to the song, "Nothing More" by the Alternate Routes and hum along...cry if you feel like you need to. But don't be afraid to tap your feet...and even smile. We can turn our fears into bravery... our anger into kindness..our love into action.
http://open.spotify.com/track/0mD8Oey9zR0TR8XyiOx3NO
To be humble, to be kind
It is a giving of the peace in your mind
To a stranger, to a friend
To give in such a way that has no end
We are love, we are one,
We are how we treat each other when the day is done
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more
To be bold, to be brave
It is the thinking that the heart can still be saved
And the darkness can't come quick
The dangers in the anger and the hanging onto it
We are love, we are one,
We are how we treat each other when the day is done
We are peace, we are war
We are how we treat each other and nothing more
Tell me what it is that you should see
A world that's full of endless possibilities
Heroes don't look like they used to..
They look like you do.
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