"To be or not to be?"
I am pretty sure that too many people ask themselves that famous line from Hamlet on a day to day basis.
"Why am I here?"
"What is my purpose in my life?"
"Who am I?"
On October 21, 2013, yet another tragedy shocked the nation to tears and disbelief. At Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nevada, a twelve year old boy took his own life, wounded a student, and shot and killed a teacher by the name of Michael Landsberry.
The very first fact that tends to catch the attention of the public eye is the horrific and sudden conclusion to Landsberry's life. He had been a former marine who had served in Afghanistan and then took up a job teaching students. The community organized and set- up a memorial in honor of Landsberry and his willingness to protect the students from the potential dangers of the gun held in the young boy's hands in exchange for his own life.
Don't get me wrong- it is a very kind and loving gesture from the community to honor those wounded and killed through memorials and FaceBook pages that tell stories of what a great man Landsberry had been and how he was there for his students who were experiencing abuse, self- harm, family issues, and much more.
But my question is this: What could drive a TWELVE year old boy- a kid, a student, a son... to the point of feeling completely and utterly hopeless. To the point of not being able to see past the troubles of the present and to be able to see the prospects of the future. To not detect the silver lining in the rain clouds.
He was only a kid. His life had only just begun.
As a society, we immediately accuse the parents. Truth is, we don't know how they raised their kid. We don't know what his home life was like. We don't know what was going on inside his head or his heart. We don't know what it was like to be in his shoes.
But what we do know from this tragedy, is that we didn't do anything for him. We didn't speak up when someone called him a name. We didn't help pick up his books when someone purposefully knocked them out of his hands.
What did YOU do?
He certainly isn't the only kid who has felt this way before, but it doesn't mean that it is nothing to worry about. No- it is not just a phase. No- it is not the usual turmoils of growing up. No- it is not a complex problem that can be solved with the snap of a finger.
We need to be there for them- for our kids, our sisters, our brothers, our friends, our family. We need to ask them- are you ok? Not the casual "How was your day?" But the more serious question of "How are you really? Do you feel loved, accepted, appreciated? We are HERE FOR YOU."
What WILL YOU do?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/sparks-school-shooting-anti-bullying-video-student-article-1.1493905
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