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Hey Frankie! I've been a long-time listener of 97.1zht. Love you guys! With the recent tragedy in Texas, I've already been seeing social media and articles about the event, particularly focusing on the heated conversation around gun control. This focus on this topic as it relates to the tragedy in Texas and all those before it saddens me almost as much as the tragic event itself. I am told I'm good with my words and I have put together my thoughts and don't know where to start with sharing them...
I really feel people need to hear the message I have to say: I write these words while there are ears listening. Listening while silent. Silent due to being speechless or in shock or in sorrow. 19 children and 2 teachers added to an ever-growing list of loss. 19 early lives and limitless futures ended. 2 lives of educators and influencers touching countless lives senselessly halted. There are no words for this kind of loss and pain. Pain felt most by those who have lost loved ones. Pain felt by all of us from the tragedy of this situation. A tragedy that is being felt by more and more as these kinds of tragedies continues to occur in turn more and more. Please listen before we start arguing. Arguing about the cause and issue. Arguing about where the blame belongs. The next steps we all seem to take are in constant insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Our elected and appointed leaders will argue over certain aspects of this incident, but nothing will change as nothing has changed. Neighbors and strangers will argue over the same points, and again eventually fall silent until another tragedy sparks the same argument. But why? Why are we lost in this endless circle of insanity? If you listen, I might provide a new thought for us all to take a moment to reflect on… What is the core problem? This is the question we keep missing and our leaders and elected officials keep ignoring. Too often, we see only the surface issues and get lost arguing about them. The gun is as responsible for the loss of these 21 lives just as a spoon plays the role in making an individual obese. While there is a point to talking about the role the weapon played and the access to this tool, you’ll find that the weapon didn’t pull its own trigger. The true question here is this: what is the core issue that resulted in this tragedy? The core problem is one that is facing us all as a nation and society. Our newer generations are being raised in a world lacking emotional and social intelligence. Our newer generations are in turn not learning emotional and social intelligence as our educational programs seem almost afraid of these topics. I ask you: was it the weapon that caused this tragedy; or was it an individual who lacked the mental health needed to process their feelings and thoughts and handle their anger and aggression and pain in a constructive manner? We need to start challenging ourselves and our leaders and elected officials to look deeper into what the core problems facing our society are. We need to start holding our leaders and elected officials accountable to solving core problems instead of symptoms; and if they can’t, assign new leadership that can. We need to look deeper into ourselves: we, as a society, are lacking constructive ways to handle our emotions and constructive interactions with others especially when we are faced with confrontation, conflict, and frustration. We need to address the core problems or our society in order to step out of this endless insanity. Please listen; while we suffer together, let us come together and solve the core issues of this tragedy… together. Only then can less tears be shed. Only when we solve the core issues we face, will we grow together as we are meant to. Until then, I too bow my head and fall to silence. Thank you for listening. Colby Schroeder