Peace and the Roots of Violence

Violence has many roots.  After the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, I felt personally affected.  The time and physical distance between these tragic school shootings seemed to be narrowing, and I began to feel less safe.  Media reports are often not enough to understand what is happening around these events, and, just as often, the reports seem to contribute to the problem by repeatedly naming the shooter, blaming authorities for technical mistakes, and generally stirring up fearful emotions without looking at root causes and effective, science-based solutions.

After Uvalde, I began looking more closely at school shootings, looking for better answers.  I read The Violence Project by Gillian Peterson and James Densley.  I looked into the recommendations of The Off-Ramp Project.  I internalized the message that such violence is not instantaneous--it is often signaled well in advance, while there is still time to prevent it by addressing the issues that the shooter is trying--and failing--to cope with.  

When my friend, Leanne, began to talk about the beginning of a new school year in our community, and the special concerns that accompany that event at a local school where her husband is a School Resource Officer, I immediately "alerted" to what she was saying.  Lamar Rebound Alternative School is a special campus for students who have, let's call it, adjustment issues in school.  The Rebound School is mandatory, not optional, for students who commit certain infractions on or off campus.  It provides a chance to rethink, readjust, and rebound in their school career with the help of personalized learning opportunities.  As Leanne talked about the home and social situations for some of these students, my heart lurched.  No longer seeing the two-dimensional "bad kid," I could see students coming from distressing home situations (divorce, a parent in prison, drug abuse, poverty, and the list goes on and on) to school and acting out their distress (and anger, hurt, fear) with aggression and violence. 

"What can I do?" I thought.

Not a whole lot as it turns out.  But sometimes even tiny things can have a big(ger) effect and meaning.  And a journey of a thousand miles begins with that first step, does it not?

I took that first step, with help from Leanne and her husband, The SRO, to meet with staff at Lamar Rebound Alternative School and bring in a few small donations that could help the students in a crisis (hunger, need to meet school dress code, personal hygiene supplies).  I want this to be an ongoing project not only to help these at-risk children in my community, but also because I want to live my commitment to the Culture of Peace.

Peace is not just the opposite of war.  It is not just the absence of violence and abuse.  It is also a positive effect of respecting and nurturing the inherent worth of all humans.  It is the proactive effort to see the whole person in their whole context and recognize the distressing pressures of their life situation--with the intentional effort to seek ways to reduce the stressors and uplift the person.

I am not a Pink Lady.  I do not not not like snakes.  But this year's Spirit Shirt is pink--and the school mascot is (this is Texas!) a rattlesnake--so I wore the Spirit Shirt and stepped into the school to meet the Principal, the Senior Administrative Assistant, the SRO, several teachers and a few students.  I had a chance to look through the school and see the "pantry" that I hope to help keep stocked.  I saw positive messages of hope and fulfillment of potential.  I saw peace in action.  I hope to support that peace and be a part of it.  Whatever it takes.