TO THE EDITOR:
In the vociferous outcry of students demonstrating against the crimes committed by the misuse of guns, there is also a deafening roar of silence as to the innate cause of these tragedies. Where are the demonstrations against the assault and bullying of student against student, or student against teacher?
Whispers and gossip flourish when a student commits suicide because they were bullied and rejected, or overdosed on drugs. Too often, we choose to treat the least and the weakest among us with indifference and disrespect. These are the things that I fear most for students, not guns. These are real issues that empowered students should be able to seek out and get to the root cause, and then address the consequential effect of their own actions and how they affect others.
When someone violently acts out against another, one seldom asks the begging question, “whatever made them act that way?” Did anyone ever reach out to alter the downward spiral of that distressed soul? The inordinate attachment to the disordered use of computers, video games and cell phones, has lead to the creation of a desensitized generation of social indifference for that down and out person.. In this era of techno-savvy-twitters, we no longer recognize our broken brother who may be experiencing a desperate loss of hope. All lives do matter.
Do we ever ask ourselves in right dismay, “whatever made them act that way?” The answer lies within each man who will not feel what others can.
David Mudge, North Kingstown
