Thursday; April 20

Throughout the years, April 20th has been known for a lot of events. One is the birth of Adolph Hitler, but another hits much closer to home. On April 20, 1999 two students assaulted Columbine High School killing a dozen people. Prior to the widespread publicity of mass-fatality events in the United States, the Columbine High School shooting stood out as a pivotal point in history. The circumstances that led up to the tragedy have been studied and deconstructed by a lot of people but one of the things that stands out to me is how many people knew about the two killers but no one was able to connect the issues and stop them. Had some of the people who had some of the information share it with others, maybe something could have been done to intervene.

Now, I am not blaming anyone – other than the two people who committed the atrocity, but this incident reminds us of an important principle – if you suspect something, say something! If you know of someone who is struggling with controlling their emotions, find a way to get them the help they need. If you know of a plan where someone could get hurt, tell someone who has the ability to intercede. If you are aware that danger is in the air, tell someone. We live in a time when bad things are happening with increasing frequency, so not saying something could be deadly! We can no longer just pass off threats as merely someone blowing off steam. We cannot allow overtly aggressive actions to be dismissed as having a bad day.

I don’t want to ever see another mass-casualty event in my lifetime. But as much as that, I don’t ever want to watch another person reflect on a tragedy and say, “I knew something just wasn’t right, but I didn’t want to get involved”. Folks, this is our nation – these are our communities – we must be involved whether we want to be or not!

Think About It!

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