One More Public Shooting!!??

Over and over and over again: there is some news in the papers about a shooting. It’s as if, shooting in public and killing innocent people has become a fad! The media feeds on the horror of the crime committed! The more number of people dead, the bigger the news………It goes national, international!! There are several shootings every now and then even in small cities and towns where people have be injured or are even dead which does not make the news. But look for the statistics online and you will find it……!!Yes I understand that life is hard and in fact very very hard for some. But  what I don’t understand is when did our lives become so inconsequential? Humans are so cruel. It’s as if these people do not realize how hard it is to build and how easy it is to demolish. When such cruelty and brutality are wrought by our fellow humans, it is so hard to teach our children kindness, consideration and compassion. As a mother, I keep thinking, should I teach my child to be cautious, afraid, fearful of people or be welcoming, loving, kind and generous towards people? Is it not my job to protect my child from such atrocities and yet, how can I raise a good, confident, progressive human being if all I can teach is fear?!

I know there are so many gentle, kind and generous people in this world who try and teach so many good virtues and values in such simple and understandable ways to children. But is it working? Why in most cases is it working and yet in those few that it doesn't work, we seem to be creating monsters? How do these monsters evolve and become so powerful? Why is it so easy for them to lay hands on weapons of death and demolition? Why are the adults and responsible people around them unaware that something is wrong? Why are these monsters, of such young age, so very often? Young, frustrated adults and sometimes kids who are completely oblivious of the destruction that they are capable of causing.

I try to think that everyone is human, and everyone has a good day and a bad day.  But it is when you are having a bad day that your strength is tested. If so many people fail in this test then what kind of people are we? What kind of children have we raised? I feel so helpless at times and wonder: Can I protect my child? Can I? His Mom?