The world has ended.
(NOTE: This essay was published after Sandy Hook in 2012. Despite the efforts of many anti-gun activists, not much has changed. That’s why the 2016 election is so important).
But it hasn't ended today. It ended last Friday, in a hail of unthinkable gunfire at Sandy Hook Elementary. And not just for the victims, the parents, the families, the friends and the town. It ended for a nation. A world.
Not all of us had a child at Sandy Hook. But we did.
Most parents cannot imagine what it feels like to lose a child in such a way, and hopefully we never will. But we do share the dread. The night-wrenching terror that what happened any Sandy Hook could happen to any of us. Anywhere.
The world ended last Friday. Just like it did on 9/11, at Columbine and at a theater in Colorado. But with every end comes a beginning. A new world filled with hope. We must cling to the thought of things getting better when everything else around us has crumbled. Hope keeps our head out of the sand. It moves us forward as people; as a nation.
But unlike the world ends of past, this one feels different. And it needs to be. Sandy Hook cannot escape our memory as quickly as a Facebook newsfeed does. It cannot be soothed with amnesia-inducing reality TV. Sandy Hook needs to stick.
The NRA spoke about conversation. But conversation is something families do at dinner. The NRA needs to take action. They must realize that they can surrender something without surrendering everything. As a nation, we get so worried about the next, that we forget about the now. And the now is what matters most.
This is not about God’s absence in schools. If you believe in God, he is in you. Whether you are at school, at work or at a late-night viewing of Dark Knight returns. Just because teachers do not say his name, doesn’t mean he’s not there. This religious freedom allows many Gods in school, including the one that lives in your heart. We are not a nation of atheists. We are a nation of acceptance. To most of us religious freedom is more important than legally holstering a gun around Target.
The irony is that many who quickly quote the second amendment are as quick to dismiss the separation of church and state. Instead of allowing one God in school, we are allowing many. Of all shapes, colors and sizes. And that inclusiveness is also a founding principal of our great nation. One we should covet more than the right to bear arms.
So how does a world honor the families and the victims of all these tragedies? We get off our asses and do something. We take the power from the NRA, and use whatever means possible to ensure our new world is better than the old one.
Let’s all join together and fight. Fight with our wallet. Fight with our words. Fight with our typing fingers and social networks. Let’s fight and never give up.
The world has ended. A new world has begun. How will you change it for the better?
