It’s been nearly a week since the tragic events took place at a Florida high school, the largest school massacre in our nation’s history. I remember Columbine- before this I naively believed churches and schools had some unspoken protection when it came to gun violence. Perhaps it was because the biggest drills I practiced were around fires and tornados. I never even considered that a fellow classmate would be capable of murder, let alone shoot people at random on a mass scale. Now, eighteen years later, these headlines have become familiar. As ABC’s affiliate clarifies, there have been over 18 incidents with guns on school grounds since the start of 2018. (www.wfaa.com/news/nation-world/school-shooting-incidents-in-the-us-so-far-in-2018/518931261)
As in most tragedies, there is a hunger to understand. What would drive a young person to act with such cold cruelty, even stopping for a bite at a fast food restaurant just minutes after committing the heinous crime? Based on some of the behaviors he exhibited in childhood, there is plenty of evidence that suggest the shooter fit the profile of a psychopath. This personality is hard for most people to understand because we cannot fathom a life without empathy/remorse. It is so hardwired into our psyche that warnings can often be dismissed or underplayed. They seem too bizarre. Yet, as recent events highlight, they are very real and very dangerous. If you would like to learn more about this kind of person and the test that helps identify them, there is a fascinating book that delves deeply into this world: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry.
Meanwhile, we have work ahead of us as we try to make sense of all of this. I am grateful that the schools have developed protocols to minimize the damage that can be inflicted. But clearly it is not enough. Numerous parts of society own responsibility. What is happening in our nation that requires lockdown drills to be a regular part of the school year? How can we preserve the sanctity of learning so children can go to school without bomb threats or shooters? Last week I heard a student say to me after an unplanned drill, “This was different. As I sat with classmates and my teacher in a classroom closet, I thought, ‘This is it. This is the day some friends are going to die.” I hope we can do what it takes to prevent those words from being ever being spoken again.