Anyone with access to any form of news, anywhere in the world, has heard about Newtown, Connecticut. And we will all continue to hear about it. Until something else really messed up happens.
From the New York Times talking out how people are reacting to the thought of “Holiday Joy” now, through the list of names as they were announced, to a mother talking about how damn hard it is to deal with a mentally ill child since all the supporting institutions across the U.S. have closed (published on gawker.com and other sites) the range of questions and discussion and opinions are all over the map. Literally everywhere.
Here’s mine:
Let the enormity of this tragedy sink in a little more. And then
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Pick any of the threads that you feel most passionate about and get engaged. Write to politicians, get organized with others interested in the same thread, and act on it. I have to believe that some good might be possible, that some action or actions might save the lives of other children. Can’t just sit and do nothing though.
When I first began to form an opinion I thought I was with Liza Long. We need to help people who are trying to look after unstable and mentally ill people just as much as anything else (like gun controls). As the enormity of this tragedy really begins to take shape I’m not confident about even that (here I am blogging about another blogger writing about someone else’s blog).
I am still of the opinion that addressing mental health is as important as any other aspect of this unfolding tale though and I struggle with how all the attention and focus might miss the real insights.
And I’m still prepared to let it all sink in a little more and then do something.
I’d rather write upbeat entries. And I will. Just not today.