Legislation and Money Alone Cannot Fix all that Ails US ....

I have been so busy lately with studying and the move. Somehow, I missed the shooting at the STEM School in Highlands Ranch, near Denver Colorado. This story of the brave young man, Kendrick Castillo, who risked his life, with the assistance of his two friends, in order to save the lives of other students --ranging in age from 5 on up to 18-19-- is incredible!!! In face of true evil, this young man made a split-second decision to put his own life on the line in hopes of saving other students. Costillo sprang immediately into action and confronted the gunmen with assistance of his friends, XXXX and XXXX. This quick-thinking and heroic action enabled Kendrick and his friends to disarm the shooters, thereby preventing subsequent causalities while allowing time for police to arrive on the scene. The actions of these brave young men are by far the greatest expression of self-less bravery I have witnessed in a long time, especially from young men barely beyond the age of childhood themselves.

In a way, it can be sad to think that Kendrick Costillo, only eighteen years of age, had his whole life ahead of him. He had worked hard in school and ROTC in order to obtain a commission into the Navy and he was scheduled to graduate in just weeks.  The sadness of this tragic loss aside, however, this world could surely use more young men like Kendrick Costillo, men sure enough in the courage of their convictions that they would not hesitate to render timely assistance to others in need, even at their own peril.

Safe travels as you journey on to your next great adventure, Kendrick! Know

that you leave this a world a better place and we are forever grateful for your loving sacrifice.

I think Kendrick Costillo's type of confidence and courage, as well as that of his friends who assisted in confronting the gunmen, comes largely from the environment one grows up within. This is an idea and conversation we seem to have lost sight of in recent decades, from a national perspective anyway. The idea that strong family, extended friends and a connection to communities in which we live truly matters, which is the antithesis of the predominant trend of instant gratification by way of electronic, non-personal, interactions on social media platforms and the like. I suppose the ease of use and the allure of convenience, not having to put yourself out there, make electronic interaction seem easier? You just have to sit back and let the ‘world’ come to you these days? It takes courage to roll up your sleeves and actually get involved on a personal, physical level in the world in which we LIVE? Well, if nothing else, this is a conversation the we should be willing to have, with ourselves at least. Maybe the conversation will spread thereafter? It is encouraging to me that a reported “42% of Facebook users have temporarily stopped using the platform in recent months.” I am optimistic with the prospects for meaningful engagement in the midst of this profound change. Now, I am not saying Facebook and the like are entirely ‘BAD’. I am just saying their overuse, misuse and the ongoing exposure to agents of unchallenged misinformation and blatant bias have real-world, negative consequences: Not the least of which of is growing sense of isolation and disconnectedness among our youth.

All the above being said, I am left wondering if you could step into a Time Machine and go back to a time before the advent guns, would you prevent their invention all-together? And would doing so, in turn, make any real difference in the world of the here and now? Or is it, perhaps, the BEHAVIOR and not the ‘weapon’ itself that kills? That is to say, will someone hell-bent on unleashing violence and destruction find a mechanism for carrying out their intended objective, guns or not? Perhaps at the end of the day, where guns are concerned, the time has finally come to acknowledge the reality that we cannot legislate behavior and that guns in the hands of law-biding citizens actually save lives.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the rights of law-abiding citizens continually being called into question every time we witness the unfolding of such a tragedy in our nation, much to the benefit of the lawless among us. This feel-good ‘easy-button’, knee-jerk response is rather moronic to my way of thinking. Why? Because it fails to fundamentally address the underlying causes for this tendency to violence in the first place, particularly among the youth of today ... which goes back to my initial premise: that you cannot legislate behavior where weapons are concerned. BUT what you can and SHOULD DO is embrace a willingness to begin a sustained conversation about the circumstances that predispose our nation’s youth to acts of unthinkable violence in the first place. National funding to help secure our nation’s schools was a great place to start, but there are some things that you just can’t fix with money and legislation alone. Realizing this and accepting the challenge to get personally involved is an often overlooked, necessary step toward helping to prevent future such attacks in our nation’s schools.

Q:  What steps could you, personally, take toward the end of reinforcing positive values and a sense of tangible belonging in your own community?

5/21/2019  Growing up on military bases as a child, we had recreation centers in our communities which had everything from bowling lanes, pools tables, tennis courts and ping pong to board games.  These centers also offered classes like gymnastics, martial arts etc.  They were a great place for allowing children from diverse backgrounds and faiths to come together, interact, learn and grow in the absence of any planned agenda (i.e., religion) and unlike YMCA, there was no cost involved for participants.  I honestly think our youth would greatly benefit from having such places available to them in the places where they live.  Especially, in a day and age where most parents works full-time.  Such centers would also provide tangible opportunities for adults in the community to volunteer their time and skills to mentor the next generation ... pay it forward.  We have a recently built community center where we live now, but the way it is run is such that the primary function of the center is to host paid events such as weddings.  Opening the space for the community and teens in particular seems to paid lip service only.  It's truly sad!  Were we staying here, that is something that I would fight to change.  Hopefully, someone else will pick up this worthwhile cause?  Suicide rates seem pretty high in our community?  Maybe the First Lady's "Be BEST" campaign can work to help secure matching funds for building community centers with a youth/teen focus across our nation?  Surely such community centers would go a LONG way towards helping our youth find their center, a meaningful connection to others, purpose, passion and direction in their lives once again.  They would also provide adults looking for volunteer opportunities a valuable place to focus their attentions and skills.

5/22/2019 My daughter suggested perhaps the outrageously wealthy, Mr. Jeff Bezos could help to get community centers built and running around the nation ... A living legacy of investing in future generations who will wind up running the show, so to speak.