They Were Just Babies

    Today our world was faced with a tragedy that I cannot wrap my mind around. A man walked into an elementary school and opened fire on a classroom of children There are 26 confirmed dead, 18 of those are children. My mind cannot get past the thought that They Were Just Babies. Babies! How can such horrific events occur? Anywhere? How can it ever seem right to kill children? It goes against instinct to kill children. Is it another indication that our world has slipped beyond the point of salvation? No, I am not speaking with any religious belief tied to the thought of salvation. I am wondering if humanity can be salvaged, or have we reached a tipping point? Yes, horrible things happen to children every day, and have for a very long time. They are the weak and innocent and so are easy prey for the vicious monsters that lurk in the shadows. I find this abhorrent, despicable, degraded, evil. But for a father to walk into a school, armed with two guns, and shoot children? That takes disbelief and shock to a whole new level. I have begun to despair that we will not be able to pull out of the tailspin we are in. Civilization is on the decline, we are rotting from within, our souls are being ravaged and under constant assault. We have become more accepting to the lower levels of violence, to the point that we can turn a blind eye, thinking, "It could be so much worse." But how much worse does it have to become before we all rise up in protest and fight back against the blackness that seems to be consuming humanity? We cannot continue along mired in our own abject apathy. We need to look beyond our own narrow sphere, open our eyes, see they misery around us and strive to change. What could have caused such irrational, devastating violence against babies? Will we hear how he was, "a normal guy, quiet, kept to himself." What were the signs that people who knew him refused to see? We close our eyes to anything we do not want to see. We walk past dejection, hopelessness, tragedy. We walk past and do not see. We cover our ears to block cries of help. We won't reach out a hand, offer a shoulder, make even the smallest gesture. Why? Because it makes us uncomfortable? Because it makes us become aware of our own unhappiness that we try so hard to sublimate? It has become a time of despair, dejection, and feelings of failure for so many in our nation that it is not terribly surprising that violence seems to be on the rise. People who feel they have lost everything also feel they have nothing to lose. This has got to stop, or things will only get worse. And in reality, they could get so much worse. It is easier to stop the flood when it is a trickle, than to try and stop a torrent. We, as a whole, as a family, have got to rally, to rise up and fight the despair and darkness, bring back hope, bring back our humanity.
    All these barely comprehensible ramblings are a scrambled attempt to comprehend the tragedy. An attempt to make sense out of something so senseless that it defies description. An attempt to bring the world back into focus, balance, regain equilibrium. I am weeping for the babies that were slaughtered today, unable to make sense of it no matter how I try. I have not even let myself touch on the grief of the families yet, that is too painful, too raw. They Were Just Babies. Please let this be a catalyst, if nothing else, let it begin to bring about the change we need. They were just babies.