it’s broken

19 schoolchildren were just brutally murdered in their classroom in Texas. This is the 27th time children have been shot in their school so far in 2022—that’s 27 school shootings in less than 5 months.

This is, astonishingly, not a new phenomenon. Almost 10 years ago, 20 schoolchildren were brutally murdered in their classroom in Connecticut. There have been many other similarly horrific events in the United States in recent decades.

Our children are being indiscriminately shot at school.

Yet… we do nothing.

Our society is, apparently, incapable of taking any meaningful steps to even try to address this abomination. It’s not like we’ve tried all manner of things—as one might expect under the circumstances—and none have worked. That would be frustrating enough.

We have not even tried.

Yes, individuals have tried. Individuals have gone to great lengths pursuing various strategies. That is admirable. But this is a collective problem and we have not tried. We are impotent in the face of this challenge.

This is incontrovertible evidence that our experiment in self-governance is failing catastrophically. Our failure to act, let alone to act effectively, in response to this universally-reviled situation is a clear symptom of a broken system.

Is it irrevocably broken?

One fallible man’s opinion: it ain’t over ’til it’s over, but reversing course will take decades.

If there is any hope, it will come down to individuals taking steps to become better citizens, and thus create a better “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.

• Put the smart phone down.
• Turn off social media.
• Stick to local news, and little of that.
• Talk to your neighbor face to face.
• Get some exercise.
• Get some sleep.
• Play with your kids.
• Read an actual paper book.
• Volunteer somewhere.
• Ask.
• Listen.
• Assume everyone shares the same basic common goals.
• If you think someone is crazy, assume there is just a misunderstanding.
• Find some faith or spirituality or philosophy… something bigger than yourself.

…it will take work. It will mean being uncomfortable. Life will be less convenient.

Is it irrevocably broken? Time will tell.