Numbness, Agency and Hope

I’ve struggled this week with what to say, or even reflect on in a coherent way. The events of the last three weeks – and this past week with the most recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas – has left us shaken, angry, in disbelief, helpless, hopeless, numb.

I forced myself to not get as emotionally involved with this last shooting, to hold it at arm’s length, because I was afraid of what I might trigger in myself if I did allow myself to go deep in there. And then I also felt guilt for wanting to put it out of my mind and carry on with my own day, and my own life.

Perhaps you can relate. Or maybe not.

It has all been too much. Way too much.  

There has been a flurry of activity in the news, in the media, on social media, about our U.S. gun laws, and about greed, power, and anger. Many of you perhaps saw the Steve Kerr interview that went viral, the night of the shooting. If you haven’t seen it, it’s powerful. Human to its core, brutally honest, and the Truth.

In the face of tragedy, and helplessness, what can we – what can I – do, we ask? How can each of us do something? Anything, to change the laws of our country that refuses to change in the face of again such epic tragedy? How can we not give in to despair, and instead find even a sliver of hope?

When we as human beings are touched at our core – in our heart and gut – we remember that we are all merely human beings. While we feel and may look different, we are not so different at all. We are of the same family. And at our core, is the power of our common lived experience, of our love and compassion, and of our common humanity.

So, I urge you to not become numb. To remember that what has transpired didn’t happen to “those people over there.” And instead, to remember that they are our parents and grandparents, our brothers and sisters, and our children.

Write and call your state representatives, senators, governors, and public officials. Jump into action in your local communities. When we no longer sit on the sidelines, and instead come together, the power of our collective voice is a force to be reckoned with. You, reading this simple message today, have more agency than you realize. And me writing these words, I’m reminded of this, too.