Children…

…should never have to cower in a storage room listening through a barricaded door to the terrifying sounds that signal the deaths of other children and their teachers.

A friend reminded me quite correctly today that the answer to this problem is more complex than just controlling guns or providing more mental health resources. It will take a lot of thought and good will and passion and sacrifice to make this sort of thing a historical footnote rather than a frequent current event.

Meanwhile, let’s start with the possible.

Stand up to bullying, especially on behalf of another.

Don’t laugh at cruel jokes.

Stop watching shows that depend on rudeness, stupidity and cruelty for laughs.

Stop patronizing stores that depend on de facto slave labor offshore to maintain their price structures.

You can make your own list. But we really have to start somewhere.

Headlines including ‘massacre’ have become much too common.