Hey God? I have a question for you. Why is there an increase in shootings right now? How come our neighbors, our students, our children are becoming an ever increasing tally of bloody victims?
My niece Rose attends Northern Illinois University in Dekalb. I was able to get through to her tonight. The first words out of my mouth was “Thank God you are alright!”. I know tonight that friends and families all over this area and throughout the United States are uttering that same verbal prayer. How close our family came to being not just a spectator of this tragedy but a part of it.
Tonight 6 families are crying out, looking for answers. 5 families of students that were no more than 19 years of age and one anguished family with the knowledge that their son, their brother was the finger that pulled the trigger.
Is February 2008 to become the black eye of history with the NIU shootings to be the fourth school shooting in a month? Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a women shot and killed two fellow students then took her own life; Memphis, Tennessee a 17 year old shot and wounded a fellow student; Oxnard, California a 15 year old has now been declared brain dead; and now DeKalb, Illinois 22 shot, 6 dead.
I don’t have any answers here. No glib or profound reasoning here to share. I am glad my Rose is okay; I am at a loss at what to say.
So God, I know you are busy tonight but can you answer why?
My niece Rose attends Northern Illinois University in Dekalb. I was able to get through to her tonight. The first words out of my mouth was “Thank God you are alright!”. I know tonight that friends and families all over this area and throughout the United States are uttering that same verbal prayer. How close our family came to being not just a spectator of this tragedy but a part of it.
Tonight 6 families are crying out, looking for answers. 5 families of students that were no more than 19 years of age and one anguished family with the knowledge that their son, their brother was the finger that pulled the trigger.
Is February 2008 to become the black eye of history with the NIU shootings to be the fourth school shooting in a month? Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a women shot and killed two fellow students then took her own life; Memphis, Tennessee a 17 year old shot and wounded a fellow student; Oxnard, California a 15 year old has now been declared brain dead; and now DeKalb, Illinois 22 shot, 6 dead.
I don’t have any answers here. No glib or profound reasoning here to share. I am glad my Rose is okay; I am at a loss at what to say.
So God, I know you are busy tonight but can you answer why?
9 Comments:
I am sure this won't be the last tragedy. It seems that these people that do this are byproducts of a society that is losing it's values. I wouldn't say that society is falling apart because of these incidents. I think the incidents are isolated and are bizzare exceptions. But we have lost many traditional values that I personally think might have had a positive influence on some of these shooters. Anyway you look at it, it is so tragic!
Did we ever even remotely think that using a gun to reconcile a painful existence the answer? I do not recall any incidents happening when I was growing up. Can anyone of us really pinpoint the time that our values went out the door?
Jude:
I don't know what to say either. Dawn and I read about it out here in PA. We both quietly thanked God that Brent doesn't attend NIU, but that doesn't mean he's anyless vulnerable. Yes, I called Brent Thursday night to make sure he wasn't doing something stupid like visiting friends on campus.
I just don't get it. Brent doesn't get it.
We just weren't raised to think of guns first before reasoning. We weren't raised to resort to violence before cooperation. We weren't raised to lash out before seeking help.
Clearly this young man was troubled, clearly he had some serious issues. But why didn't someone see he was in need of help? Why didn't someone talk to him. Why didn't someone try to get him to let out his frustration/anger/confussion in a more constructive maner?
This young man was a Sociology Grad Student! HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER. He should have known to seek other means of resulution.
But why didn't he?
Should we just idly sit and ask God why? Or should be be looking at ourselves as a society?
Why is it kids and young adults are choosing violence over resolution? Is it that we have become so obsessed with constantly "keeping up" with fashion, the Jones', each other, out of control debt, inflation, social ridicule, personal embarassment...that we can't see the damage we're doing to our own children?
When did it become OK to leave our children with a video game as a babysitter?
When did it become acceptable to give our children $30,000 cars as a means of transportation to school? When did we forget to pack a dollar in our childrens' pockets as "phone money" and just give them a cell phone that has more gagets on it than actual phone functions?
It's as if we've lost sight of what it means to raise children into adults. Adults who can reason, question, research even walk and talk. Kids today don't even talk to their friends anymore. They Text message them with a vile form of Text Message Shorthand that is nearly indistinguishable from the English the teachers in schools are attempting to teach them.
We're raising our kids to not talk, not listen, not walk, not get involved with each other, not socialize with society in general.
No wonder they resort to the "quick" answers.
Look at what we've taught them.
I don't think anyone can point to a specific timeline when someone loses it. I know that this man's parents are grieving as well and second guessing their actions or non-action as it can be in some cases. I agree with you and John. We have lost many of the traditional values in this society that may have prevented tragedies such as the NIU shootings.
I'm not sure if it is a lack of traditional values that can be found in American society, or the fact that American society is losing its values. I think for our young people here, it may be a disillusionment at watching the hypocrisy of watching America's political, business, and religious leaders constant harking of traditional values, while acting in a manner that is completely opposite of those values. You can see this with the Bush administration's talk of values, while cutting money from social programs to help Americans in need (Of course there is the added Bush hypocrisy of continuing to wage the endless war in Iraq.). You can see this with religious leaders talking about the values of marriage and family, as they are caught involved in their own marital affairs with women and men. CEOs have become adept at securing huge paychecks and golden parachutes of excessive greed, as their own companies are bankrupt and American workers lose their jobs. And let us not forget eight years of Republican scandals and corruption with Congress and the Bush administration. Toss in a slowing economy, job losses due to corporate outsourcing and down-sizing, rising prices due to inflation, the housing crash, rising education costs, and a general feeling of malaise and insecurity, and I'm not surprised that we're seeing an increase in violence among young people for this month. Somehow, I think American society, government, and American leaders have ignored the social, economic, and medical problems these individuals have faced, causing them to snap in this violent way. These shootings and killings have become a belated cry for help, and a defiant FU message to American society for failing to listen to their cries.
I think we're going to see even more shootings take place.
Jude this is just an outstanding post! It seems to reflect what a lot of us are asking now.
I read it and went on to your other post because I feel that you have said all there is to say in a wonderful way.
"I do not recall any incidents happening when I was growing up. Can anyone of us really pinpoint the time that our values went out the door?"
Thanks for this post, a lot of us needed it right now.
Thanks Let's Talk. I believe we can fix our society if we are willing to admit to our mistakes as a whole entity. The values our parents held may not sit well with today's viewpoints but I can guarantee that because of these values, we did not experience the disconnect from society as today's youth feel.
hey jude** had to say it.
I go out on a limb but your bio said you were open minded.
God is a gentleman we asked Him to leave so if we want His help we have to ask Him for it.
Bring Him back to our lives.
Is the "we" you spoke a generalization or is their a specific person in mind?
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