Since the tragedy of shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, I have been having mixture of emotions and thought as I am sure many people have. I kept thinking how the families of those who lost their lives are spending this weekend, this holiday and on. I have a 3 year old whom I cannot imagine living without. I am so grateful for her, and t the same time feels tremendous pain inky heart for the families of the victims.
I am experiencing waves of emotions particularly because I am a therapist by profession, and I work with a lot of teenagers and young adults who suffer from mental illness. Whenever there is a tragedy like the one on Friday, it is more likely the person is suffering from a mental illness. And I believe this case was not any different, according to the media. We all ask why this young man engaged in such a violent act. Is that the mental illness he was suffering, family environment, his up bringing? "what really happened in his mind that day?" Is all we want to know, but we will never know.
My husband and I have had an extensive talk after the tragedy about what is happening in this society we live in, what we need to do to protect our children, what we need to do as activists and advocates for our children and peace, the conversation will continue, as we do not have the right answer.
All I know at this time, is that we all have a choice how we take this tragedy and how we make changes in our lives from now on. We may choose to not change anything or we may choose to make a dramatic changes. It is all up to each one of us. I do hope that whatever you choose to do will contribute to more peaceful society for our children.
