I’d like to go back to the day, before people went to schools and started shooting. Days where we didn’t have to train our children what to do for CODE X emergencies or whatever terms the administrators determine and use. I’d like to return when the only expression you saw from a parent running to a school with, was a huge smile.
Where did we lose control as a society that this is the norm and not the exception? It’s not our law enforcement, they are the reactionary unit. Its our families and health profession and each and every one of us. We have huge numbers of people falling through the cracks. Our disposable society has now extended to its people in large numbers.
Lets all make school a place for children and apple a day, not for bullets and our nightly newscast.
Photo by Mike Hartley
It’s not just the disturbed student who become disassociated and or outcast and get lost in delusional worlds of fantasy. Its your disturbed co-worker, who’s combination of financial troubles or marital issues or an endless list of the days stresses just snap. Is it the abandoned veteran with no support in dealing with horrific events. Its anyone who doesn’t have a close friend or family member to send up that flag, or catch them writing something disturbing or going down a path that leads to a tragic event.
Tragic events are nothing new. The volume of them indicates a deeper problem. As we all are deeply touched by such senseless carnage, we all need to look out for each other more. Metal detectors, more gun laws and arming teachers isn’t going to stop this. Only taking each person, making sure they are ok, and if not helping them get the help they need not to hurt anyone. And that falls on all of us.
Missing the abuse
Ah the beginning of spring training. The time of year I would reconnect with one of my best friends from my early youth. We were both big baseball nuts. Both playing in our neighborhood fields and in leagues. We also had a love of supporting our professional teams. Those just happened to be different, while we usually played on the same team growing up. We were very close in our youth. We lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same school. Worked a few jobs together and would kill days on end playing sports together.
But right after high school we went different directions and lost touch for a while. In the last decade we really reconnected but because of our distance it was just email but those mails were something that felt very close like our youth. Like we picked up where we left off as we always had done over the years, because we knew the time in our neighborhood days was special.
Anyway I miss the high level abuse and giving it right back. We would go back and forth with ruthless digs and slights. It was war. There was no quarter given on either side. And it was fun, very fun because we knew we were always on the same team, no matter where our favorites played or resided.
So in that spirit but a G rated version to my friend. I hope you’re listening and if you can’t hear I’ve provided a picture because the YANKEES are going to tee off on the Birds this year.
Yankees Rule
Photo by Mike Hartley
Random Thoughts of the Day
I find I have fewer random thoughts on tragic days like today.
I don’t know why, but I feel the need for pizza.
A happy Valentines day to all.
