Last week in Florida another school shooting ended 17 lives and forever damaged hundreds more. In an all too familiar pattern, afterwards people took to social media sharing their sorrow, their prayers, and their outrage.
This pattern is familiar because it has repeated itself all too often. Since Sandy Hook there been over 200 school shootings.
It is often said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
So we ask ourselves once again. What is it that we can do? Is there anything that will make a difference?
I am reminded of the words of the humanitarian Arthur Ashe, who offered this simple advice — “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Start where you are. This means in your community. In your schools. In your social network. In your organization. These are the places where you can make the biggest difference, because this is where your sphere of influence is the strongest. Let your community be a model for others to learn from.
Use what you have. If you’re a lawyer use the skills you have as a lawyer. If you are an educator use your role as an teacher. If you are a writer, write something powerful. If you are a psychiatrist, help us understand troubled minds. If you are parent, model compassion and empathy. If you are a citizen, vote.
Do what you can. If you are a teacher, can you spend a few more minutes looking for the lonely children? If you are a psychiatrist can you treat more troubled kids? If you are a lawyer, can you help set better school policy that doesn’t expel bad behavior but looks to understand it? If you are a responsible gun owner, can you be a voice for responsible gun safety? If you are a legislator, pass legislation that makes a difference. Do something with what you are supposed to do best.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have not acted upon my own words. Four years ago, on the first anniversary of Sandy Hook. I wrote this piece for the Huffington Post.
Since then, there has been another shooting and another shooting and another shooting and I have done nothing.
So today, I write again. Tomorrow I will talk to my children. I will go to my next PTSA meeting and hope to discuss our school policy. I will talk respectively to those friends who own guns, encouraging them to voice their opinions to the NRA. I will ask my friends in philanthropy about their commitment to gun violence and mental health. In other words, I will simply start where I am, use what I have and do what I can. I hope you can do the same.