Uvalde

I don’t lock the doors at night
Not because I live in a safe part of town
Not because I’m not afraid
No because I have an immense amount of faith
Not because of the knowledge that there’s a season that even contains my death
I don’t lock the doors at night
Not because I’m inviting the fearful intruder to come cause bodily harm and take all of my worldly goods
No
I don’t lock the doors at night
Because it wouldn’t impinge my getaway plan
I need to escape
I need to get away
My need to break free
From anything that a lock could never protect anyway
I don’t lock my doors at night
So the morning can come anytime it feels like it
And bring what it may
Regardless of any kind of weather accompanying it
I don’t lock the doors at night
May the grace of all that is holy
forgive me for ever even shutting the door
on anything that has the possibility
of everything that never has a sum
of nothing
or worse
the feeling of all unequal parts
behind any safe illusion
a locked door
holds
We all have a need to feel
S A F E
don’t we. . .
BUFFALO
UVALDE
TULSA
and who knows where next
but hopefully not to a town near you
or outside of your (UN)LOCKED Door
I recently read a post from a friend
who said,
EVERY PERSON I KNOW WHO OWNS A GUN JUST WANTS TO FEEL SAFE
EVERY PERSON I KNOW WHO WANTS GUNS REGULATED WANTS TO FEEL SAFE. . .
MAY THIS BRING US
A CONNECTEDNESS
that can’t be hidden behind any door
(UN)LOCKED
and may the
Caring Catalyst
in each of us
bring it forth
(UN)CEASINGLY
as we become
MASS INSTRUMENTS OF CONSTRUCTION

THIS IS NOT A TIME TO WRITE
R I G H T. . .
Ever since last week’s shooting in Uvalde, Texas
there’s been lots of numbers and statistics flying around
and as staggering as some of these statistics are
they prove that now is not exactly a time to
WRITE ABOUT RIGHT
but it sure does beg
for some well grounded resources
that might help us make our way through
the tragic maze of numbers and words
which is the SOUL purpose
of this particular blog post
that gets us past writing about being a
Caring Catalyst
to BEING more like one. . .

I gathered resources that might help you make sense of gun violence, talk with kids about it, and take action for change. . .

Moms Demand Action gather on the steps of the Minnesota capitol to call attention to the issue of gun violence in 2018. © Fibonacci Blue / CC BY 2.0

When will it ever stop?

As gun violence gets worse in the United States, many of us feel overwhelmed by helplessness and anger.

We feel that, too, at Greater Good. But we know that change is possible, and that what we do as individuals matters. We’ll keep doing what we can to encourage people to take care of each other, see the good in ourselves and others, and understand the research that will help us to make better decisions.

Here are some resources that might help you make sense of gun violence, talk with kids about traumatic events, and take action for change.

Click to jump to a section:

Understanding gun violence
Resources for parents and educators
Tips for activism and hope
Organizations to support or get involved in

Understanding gun violence

Seven Insights to Help You Make Sense of Gun Violence: Research can help us understand why guns are killing more Americans—and what we can do to stop it.
What’s Driving Political Violence in America?: Hate crimes are rising, and so is support for political violence. New research explores why—and what we can do to stop it.
Why Are Asian Americans Being Attacked and What Can You Do About It?: Here are science-backed ways we can reduce hatred and division.
Racism is Not a Mental Illness: Many people argue that the white man who killed nine black people in Charleston must be mentally ill. What does the science suggest?
How the Media Can Help Prevent Mass Shootings: Sensationalized TV coverage of mass shootings may encourage more of them.
Gun Violence: Prediction, Prevention, and Policy by the American Psychological Association: Research-based conclusions and recommendations on how to reduce the incidence of gun violence—whether by homicide, suicide, or mass shootings—nationwide.

Resources for parents and educators

Five Tips for Talking With Kids About What’s Going On in the World: By discussing challenging topics with our children, we can help them practice compassion.
Nine Tips for Talking With Kids About Trauma: After a tragedy, kids will have questions. How do we respond?
How to Talk With Kids About Scary News: Researcher Abigail Gewirtz explains how parents can have conversations with kids about global conflict and humanitarian crises.
Nine Ways to Help Students Discuss Guns and Violence: How can educators respond to mass shootings in schools?
Five Ways to Support Students Affected by Trauma: Teachers can help students recognize their strengths and build resilience.

Tips for activism and hope

Four Reminders of Human Strength and Goodness after Sandy Hook: Are people horrible? It’s a question many Americans are asking ourselves after the horror of a school shooting.
Who Is Your Rock? He survived the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, two years ago and has been a student mental health advocate ever since. Now Kai Koerber finds a way to thank the person who helped him find his voice.
Six Tips to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by the News: Here’s how to cope when all the negative news is triggering you.
How to Sustain Your Activism: These three principles can help activists avoid burnout and continue working toward a better world.
How to Renew Your Compassion in the Face of Suffering: Mass suffering can make us feel helpless. Focusing on solutions, rather than emotions, may be the way out.

Organizations to support or get involved in

It’s not really so much a time to WRITE RIGHT. . .

It’s a time that requires so much more

Click to jump to a section:

Understanding gun violence

Resources for parents and educators

Tips for activism and hope

Organizations to support or get involved in

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