A Norvell Note
Vol. 27 No. 43 October 30, 2023
Please Don’t Let It Become the Norm
I confess I’ve been angry this week. I’m angry because of the news of another mass shooting where eighteen people were going about their lives enjoying an evening with their friends and family when a man walked into the businesses and started shooting. I am angry because of the fear and terror that the act of violence created for the people of Maine and far beyond, including my own heart and home.
I confess I’ve been angry by the wars and threats of war in the Middle East, the loss of life, and carnage. Add to those reasons for my anger the continuing war in Ukraine.
I further confess that much of my anger and sadness over these bigger-than-me events in our world is due to my inability to do anything about them. I can’t stop the shootings. I can’t stop the wars. I can’t stop the violence or take away the fear or the agony.
I also confess these same events made me deeply sad when I listened to a father talk about losing his son and saw the death and destruction of the wars. Sadness is too slight of a word.
So, my final confession is that I am concerned that we allow these kinds of things to become the norm. I would rather be angry and sad than become so calloused that I yawn and feel nothing. At least in this mental state, I regularly remind myself to do whatever I can to bring more kindness, gentleness, calmness, peace and love to my place in the world.
Tom
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