These United States

United States of America. There isn’t anything remotely united about these states today. No, I stand corrected. There is unity. We are all united by the reality of gun violence in our communities. Every day, every single day, there are mass shootings that take place in some part of the country, in dangerous, seedy places such as schools, grocery stores, places of worship. This country isn’t divided at all, we are all united, all ethnicities, nationalities, genders, religions, sexual orientation – all joined by the common thread of gun violence. Guns come for us all, a mass murderer does not ask about your religion or political affiliation before gunning you down. 

I woke up to the news of another mass murder at an elementary school, 19 children and 2 teachers had been massacred in Texas. What does one do when you feel numb, hopeless, helpless, and full of rage all at the same time? How do you process the senseless murder of little children at school, especially when this brutality recurs with alarming regularity? Will this ever end in the big, beautiful United States of America? 

We’ve done everything we can think of to combat this scourge. We’ve donated money and time, we’ve marched, we’ve held vigils, we’ve written letters to our political leaders, and we’ve made countless phone calls. We’ve sought out candidates that support gun safety laws, we’ve gone to bat for them, we’ve battled our family and friends, we’ve knocked on doors, we’ve gathered signatures, and we’ve begged for help. The net result? Absolutely nothing. Violence continues to rage on, the gun fanatics buy more weapons of mass destruction, and countless lives continue to be shattered. 

So what do you do when you’ve done it all and have nothing left in you but boiling rage and terrified tears? You let the emotions take over, completely take over, for a while. You hug your loved ones, you weep, and you rage. Then you pick yourself up and remember that no one was born wanting to do this. You remember that before we are Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, we are humans. We are parents, we are siblings, we are nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, grandparents and babies. We are connected. We may detest everyone else, but we love our own, we care for our own, we cherish our own. 

We are connected to each other by the bonds of family. That’s how we win this war. That’s how we turn the tide. Human connections is the key.