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Gun Violence: What Legacy Will We Leave Our Children?

My son Titus recently joked: "Daddy, I'm going to get you a birthday card. On the cover, it's going to say: Dumb."

Innocence, once lost, is hard to regain.

I broke out laughing at my son's silly Hallmark slogan. But cruelty doesn't retain its boyish charm.

This past Wednesday, I crafted my Sunday sermon titled, "How Can America Regain Its Innocence?" On Thursday, a gunman stormed the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Md., and claimed the lives of five innocent people, including editors and reporters tasked with sharing stories of the place they called home.

In journalism school, I used to dream of reaching the big time as a war correspondent for The New York Times. I never imagined fellow Americans could feel emboldened to bring violence to the door of newsrooms.

As parents, incidents such as this one are a sobering reminder of our great challenge: to leave the world a better place than we found it. The ideas we foster today among our children will be mirrored in generations to come.

Now is not a time to lay the blame for tragedy at the feet of parents. It is time instead to reflect on a belief that has defined generations of American citizens: The home, built properly, can be a powerful institution and a force for good. Great care should be taken to conduct its affairs with wisdom and reverence.

Earlier this year, the Empires and Mangers blog provided an outstanding analysis of the three primary ways we can control gun violence: better manage guns, better develop our culture or better cultivate the souls of people whose actions can do great good or great harm.

Sadly, that post too came about because of another incident of gun violence: the killing of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

If we don't teach our children that every life matters -- and that compassion, empathetic listening and service to others are three of the best ways to put that principle into practice -- we risk pushing them further into moral darkness.

We have become too conditioned by dismay, and our young people represent the last best hope for reversing that rotten mindset.

As parents, we must equip our children to battle mightily for the hearts of people within their circle of influence. And we should never doubt that little voices, no matter how soft, can rise together to make big changes.

Guns will not resolve the conflicts of our era. But our children, if given the opportunity, well may.

Comments

Anonymous said…


Well stated!!! BRAVO! I often hear people say.." Why are all these shootings occurring? " "Why are children so disrespectful these days?"
"Why are there so many broken homes?" Why are some many people homeless?" " What is wrong with our government?"
Because people allow wrongs to go unnoticed ! Rearing children is a difficult long job. People get weary and just let things go. Money becomes just too important and material goods are tempting. People believe " You CAN have it all."
Too many children or bring raised by those who are paid to tend to them, by television or by old people who are worn down by life and no longer fit in today's world.
The family unit IS the base of civilization and should be recognized as part of all the problems that fill newspapers etc. every day.
July 3, 2018 at 3:01 AM
Nate said…
Thank you so much for your comment. I wholeheartedly agree that parents need to look introspectively at the powerful good they can do -- even when it might feel daunting or impossible -- through their family. People will still make evil choices that harm others. But if the foundation for goodness isn't started early and reviewed often, it is very easy to give up and give in to discouragement. Technology and philosophy all have their place, but the low-tech answer to many of today's most pressing problems is to return to the power of relationships and a moral standard that includes age-appropriate discipline and abundant love from an early age. Thanks again for your comment and for reading.
July 3, 2018 at 3:45 AM
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