Let me start by saying that we clearly have a gun problem in our society. But running with the knee-jerk reaction of banning them and protecting people is only a Band-Aid solution. It’s what got us here in the first place.
Has anyone else noticed that mass school shootings started with the Millennials? No, I’m not saying that Millennials are the problem. It’s the adults who raised them. That’s all of us—parents, teachers, lawmakers, and so on. We’re the ones who disempowered a whole generation of children and we’re continuing to disempower the next generation too. The Z Generation are the victims of the Florida shooting and the shooting every three days since the year started.
Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime. –Chinese Proverb
We live in a dangerous world with lots of dangerous things. Shielding kids from the dangers of the world only makes them at higher risk of being hurt by them. Eventually, they will venture—or sneak—out on their own when you’re not there to protect them and they are more likely to get hurt if they don’t know what they’re doing. Teaching kids how to protect themselves from danger and why it is important to their well-being allows them to develop judgment which will serve them throughout life.
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But names will never harm me. –Nursery Rhyme
By protecting and mandating good behavior we’ve set up a situation where there is no tolerance for imperfection. Kids at school have to sit still, get good grades, and be nice to each other at all times. Even though competition is fierce, children have to be inclusive and never express a negative sentiment. Teachers too. If you slip up even once, you’re out.
Think about the pressure this creates. Imagine a steam engine with no vents. If you keep adding pressure with no outlets, eventually you’ll have an explosion. People are the same way. Research shows that bottling up emotions can make people more aggressive and that diffusing them may help avoid lethal violence.
Kids need to be able to express their anger and aggression. They need to be able to fight, to call each other names, to yell at each other, and to cry, feel pain, and get back up again. This is how they develop a healthy constitution. Prohibiting kids from feeling any pain and expressing all aggression is what’s leading to unhealthy eruptions. Boys shoot and kill others. Girls cut and kill themselves. Both of these problems are at an all-time high.
Kids are remarkably resilient if we let them be. When we shield them and protect them and do things for them we are creating little monsters. Look at Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for classic examples of kids gone awry from misdirected parents.
What our country needs right now is less control and more empowerment. We don’t need to ban free speech and guns. We need to teach people how and when to use them appropriately. Stop helicoptering and start empowering.
