Violence

IT’S NOT A TIME TO WRITE RIGHT

June 1, 2022 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

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

A Call To ARMS

October 4, 2017 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Another Horrific Tragedy:

We are all still stunned

As WE seek for

UNDERSTANDING

REASONS

THEORIES

SAFETY

HOPE

HEALING

L O V E

Non-Violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the lightest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man–Mahatma Ghandi

T R U E L Y

are we past T H I S ?

Aside from totally being stunned by the sheer madness;

the utter devastation of at least 5 9 innocent people being massacred. . .

theres’s a Call to Arms. . .

And if there’s ONE TIME

that’s absolutely true. . .

IT IS NOW

after recent hurricanes and earthquakes

and now, THIS:

I T I S N O W

. . .But,

A C A L L T O A R M S ?

A B S O L U T E L Y

but not by buying more guns

or even absurdly thinking to rid the world of them. . .

but by using what is so readily available to each of us:

O U R A R M S

. . .But, H O W

Literally HUGGING everyone you know

and those you don’t. . .

RESPECT EVERYONE–INCLUDING YOURSELF

No one can degrade you without your permission and it is WITHIN YOU to uplift ANYONE, the richest, the poorest, the most kind or the most evil around us. . .

ALWAYS INCLUDE CONSTRUCTIVE ALTERNATIVES

Fancy way to say:

B E T H E D I F F E R E N C E

Thousands of studies have shown that working together is the most effective way to unite people–this is being an ultimate CARING CATALYST; It builds community and reassures the general public that YOUR MOVEMENT is not a danger to any social order but a pure restoration of IT

BE AWARE OF THE LONG TERM

Yes. . .VIOLENCE is effective, maybe way too much effective but in the long run it leads to more misery and DISorder; In non-violence, we can lose battles but still go on to win the war

LOOK FOR WIN-WIN SOLUTIONS

Whenever I can be a part of another’s success; I AM SUCCESSFUL; When I row you across the roughest and most troubled of waters, I get to the other side, too!

U S E P O W E R C A R E F U L L Y

PROVE that the greatest power is never at the end of a gun barrel but at the end of your hand. . .it’s true, that when you reach out you may get hurt, shunned, mocked, but you also run the high risk of not just healing, affirming, comforting but actually REACHING what needs reached most: A N O T H E R

TRUE OR FALSE:

Is all LIFE is interconnected; Your PAIN is my PAIN; YOUR HAPPINESS is MY HAPPINESS. . .

I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When it comes to not just bearing arms,

but actually using the two most powerful ways possible:

O U R A R M S

to effect the most drastic means of healing change

there’s but one answer:

Without a doubt

Violence is a bon-fire of hurt that burns many,

Love is that small flicker that makes it impossible

for us to forget the

F L A M E

We hear. . .

We witness what happens

most recently in Las Vegas

and while we’re so tempted to

r e m e m b e r

the senselessness of it

we need more to be

m i n d f u l

of how our own personal

C A L L T O A R M S

is a Caring Catalyst way

that will bring the most

long lasting solution. . .

Our Constitution

is not going to be amended to repeal our right to bear arms

H I S T O R Y

i n s t r u c t s

evil will remain. . .

u l t u m a t e l y

G U N S and L O V E

can never be legislated. . .

but of the two—

only one has a everlasting effect. . .

B E

T H E G L O W O F T H A T W A R M E M B E R

which is always inextinguishable

L I G H T T H E W A Y

All Hands ON. . .

December 7, 2016 By ChuckBehrens 2 Comments

The problem with

H A N D S

is not that we all have them. . .

it’s that they are not always joined;

Our hands c a n

and have done so much on their own. . .

but when they are joined together with other hands

the imagination isn’t vast enough to comprehend

what can be accomplished;

Could have H A N D S joined together

stopped the tragic,

senseless violence that takes place all to often in

Anywhere, USA. . . ?

P E R H A P S

We will never know. . .

but H A N D S joined together can go along way in

providing the

H E A L I N G

What to do. . .

Imperfect hands in an imperfect world. . .

S I M P L E :

H E A L I T !

I’m often. . .

too often reminded

Of the story of a Rabbi who prayed daily that God would make a perfect world in which there would be no hatred, jealousy, pain, disease, pain or problems. One night, God appeared to the Rabbi in a dream and took him on tour of the world made perfect. The Rabbi saw his house, his synagogue, his town. Lions and lambs laid together. Still, the Rabbi was troubled. . .something was missing. “Where am I in this perfect world?” the Rabbi asked. God offered an apologetic answer: “This is the Perfect World you requested. You must understand that you are not perfect, so you cannot be included.”

Now, this is where

I would usually plug in some

facts,

figures,

data

scientific studies

that would prove

K I N D N E S S

is not just an option

it’s a healthier life style. . .

but

sometimes you just don’t need a study

to tell you

what you already know. . .

F A C T :

Terrible. . .

most horrible things take place in our lives and in our World

but they have no relationship on how we live our lives of

Care and Compassion. . .

F A C T :

Expecting the World to treat us fairly

because we are nice people

is like expecting a Bull not to gore us

just because we’re vegetarians. . .

F A C T :

We may never be able to prevent horrible events from happening again. . .

but by coming together

by joining hands

by Unconditionally Caring

by Unrelentlessly being Compassionate

we lessen pain and make the World a better place

N O M A T T E R W H A T

F A C T :

The Future isn’t a place we go to

It’s a Place we Create

F A C T :

By joining hands in Care and Compassion

the Future becomes a much better

P R E S E N T

a more hopeful

N O W

Join me

p l e a s e

oh please oh please oh

p l e a s e

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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