Here We Go Again

So there was another school shooting last week.  You’ve heard all about that.  Lots of people have weighed in on what should be done.  I have not.  Why not?  Because I have no idea what I could say that a) would be useful and b) that you haven’t heard better said by lots of other people by now.

You should pray, of course.  But I certainly hope you didn’t need me to tell you that.  Prayer is clearly an important thing to do, in all circumstances.  Sometimes, maybe all the time, prayer is the most important thing we can do.  But is it the only thing we should do?

Most people agree that the answer is no.  People agree that something more needs to be done.  The problem is that people don’t agree on what that something is.  Many people are convinced, beyond doubt, that they know exactly what should be done.  That’s okay--we’re all entitled to our opinions.  Maybe some of them are even right.  

The thing is though, that when we are convinced, beyond doubt, that we know exactly what should be done, it’s very tempting to stop listening to any opinion that disagrees with ours.  And from there, it’s another short step to believe that our opinion is so obviously correct that any reasonable, rational person would have to agree with us.  And once we believe that, it logically follows that anyone who disagrees with us must be either a) stupid, b) uncaring, or c) downright evil.  

I’m not saying that applies to you.  But I’ve heard and seen an awful lot of that sort of thing in the aftermath of the latest school shooting.  I’ve heard and seen it in a lot of other areas, too.  It’s not helpful.  Once we reach that point, it becomes impossible to have any kind of reasonable conversation.  People just talk past each other, not hearing what others have to say, not interested in what others think or why they think it.  Which is why, after every school shooting, we hear the same people say the same things.  And nothing ever changes.  

I don’t have the answer.  I don’t pretend to have the answer.  But I know that we’re not going to get anywhere, on this issue and on other issues, as long as people believe that anyone who disagrees with them is stupid, uncaring, or evil.  The only way we’re going to get any place is for people with different opinions to actually listen to each other.  The only way we’re going to get any place is for people to understand that a reasonable, rational person can see the same situation we do and look at it differently.  The only way we’re going to get any place is for people to understand that people who disagree with them sincerely want what’s best, but just disagree on what that best is and how to get there.

Will that happen?  I don’t know.  To be honest, I don’t see a lot of signs of it.  But since we can’t control what anyone else does, the only way we can start is with you and me.  If you and I decide that we’ll listen to people who disagree, that we’ll understand that people who disagree with us are not stupid, uncaring, or evil, but just have a different way of looking at things, maybe it’ll spread.  Maybe other people will start doing it, too.  Maybe not.  I don’t know.  But we have to start someplace, and the only place I know to start is with me and you.

So please, do pray.  Pray for the victims of the shooting, of course.  But also pray that we will be able to discuss what to do humbly, with respect, with understanding, and with love.  Pray that we will actually listen to each other and try to see where other people are coming from.  It doesn’t mean we’ll all agree, and we don’t have to.  And maybe we still won’t be able to find an answer.  But if we’re going to find an answer, it’s going to come from people working together with respect and with love.