Tragedy in our schools

My heart goes out to the victims of the recent shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, their families, and all those affected by the urgent and pervasive issue of gun violence in America.

We can't prevent all gun violence, but there is a lot we can and must do. We don't need to search hard for answers; we have a list of them. We can't look at only one aspect of the problem; tragedies like this have many facets. And we can't expect all the change to come from one source. Our government has a role to play, and so do we as individuals.

There are reforms already on the table that will make us a safer society without jeopardizing the right to gun ownership. I support politicians working towards those reforms.

In our schools, we need to place more emphasis on the art of being human: emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, critical thinking, media literacy, and more. There are many tasks we can outsource to computers. These are foundational skills that we can't offload. The individual and societal cost of not having them is enormous.

Change is formed and developed outside the political process. As individuals, we do what we can to ensure our guns are safe. We teach people in our world what we know about being human. We band together in groups, unions, and other networks to develop the collective power push for change within society and our laws.

Beyond the thoughts and prayers I offer online and in person, I'm also supporting two charities in memory of the tragedy: the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Sandy Hook Promise. I encourage you to do the same.