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.

Living in a World Where Facts No Longer Matter???

Bi-fracated, meaning this is the world we presently find ourselves living in? Left vs. Right.  Black vs. White.  Men vs. Women.  Religion of faith vs. Religion of ideology.  A world of absolutes with little middle ground?  Like minded people only choosing to speak with like-minded people, in protective bubbles of isolation.  Wonder sometimes if we, as a society, have completely lost the ability to actually engage and debate one other with facts these days.  People no longer seem willing to talk with one another about the things that truly stand to have an impact on the world in which we live anymore.  We just talk at one another, past one another.  I had thought civil discourse was no longer possible in the divided state of America, but recent forums at the White House hosted by President Trump have given me hope that perhaps all is not lost?

Personally, I blame social media conditioning in large part for this bi-frication of America.  Social media is literally rewiring people's brains.  It's shortening our patience tendons and attention spans, such that we no longer have time for actual phone calls, meaningful face to face conversations or hand-written correspondence.  Social media consumes hours of our time as we mindlessly digest mostly useless information --kind of like the 'emotion' neutralizing pill in the move "Equilibrium", where modern-day social media tends to neutralize independent thought.  Social media fuels our desire to be heard and "Like[ed]", to BELONG.  Sadly, far too many of us are addicted to the dopamine hit of being heard, Liked, to the extent that the ability to listen seems rapidly on its way to becoming a lost art-form. 

Also have to think that perception is easier to sway --and hence people/populations are easier to influence and control-- in the on-line forum.  He who controls the content now controls the outcome? To live in a world where the facts no longer matter, where reality is malleable, fungible? Witness media outlets claiming to be purveyors of news, when the majority fail to cover major news stories that do not fit their ideological narrative and what they do cover is mostly opinion given under the guise of 'news'... I am left wondering when rational, logical, flesh and blood people are going to wake up, re-engage with hearts and minds and say enough already???? Especially where our children and their safety in our nation's schools is concerned.  At the end of the day passing new gun legislation won't guarantee our children will be safe.  Only hardening the soft targets of our schools will do this.  Have the gun legislation conversation, but in my opinion that is an entirely separate issue.  Focusing on the guns first takes the focus away from where it should be: 100% preventing another shooting from happening in the next 365 days.  Let's start by actually enforcing the laws we already have on the books and then hardening the soft targets of our children's schools. Then we can move on from here. Historically speaking, meaningful action seldom happens in like-minded bubbles of isolation. Meaningless --non-fact based mantras-- fueling an innate human need to belong, with little effort or thought being put into coloring outside some lines in order to find new solutions to real-world problems isn't going to fix what ails us as a nation and a society.  I challenge you to put down your mouse and engage in at least one meaningful, real-world conversation today.  Baby steps.  Maybe together we can change this world of ours for the better one 'un-click' at a time.  And when you do happen click, why not use your clicks to contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives with real-world concrete solutions that will help to move the discussion --on keeping our children safe in their schools-- forward into meaningful and timely action.

3/14/2018  Logic and reason prevailed today, as the U.S. House of Representatives was able to pass the "Stop School Violence Act" by a vote of 407 for the bill and 10 against.  This bill will immediately allow school districts across the nation to begin taking the steps necessary to harden the soft targets of our schools.  The bill had 75 member co-sponsors, demonstrating the broad support for taking immediate action, without the unnecessary delay of including gun legislation in this initial bill.  Congress will likely have the gun-control legislation debate, but it will thankfully be conducted as separate issue, thereby allowing for immediate meaningful action that will help to keep our students safe in their school environments.  Hoping the U.S. Senate will now follow suit in order to make this bill into law! Here are "Stop School Violence Act" bill details.