This weekend someone infected a school… a town with fear. Another piece of our children’s innocence was stolen away. While the threat of violence toward the school may or may not have been real there was an incident early today. A series of shootings in that town and it only served to lend credence to the threats. Time will tell if there was a connection between the two.

People began pulling their children from school before anything had transpired. Eventually the school closed down because of a lack of available police presence due to the shootings this morning. Prior to today’s incidents and to the closing I encouraged my children to attend school although I said I would not force them. I may be a lot of things, but I am their father first. Their peace of mind is important to me. BUT I did encourage them to go citing the fact that we are surrounded by dangers every day. The threat of peril is omnipresent no matter where we are or how safe we think we might be. The illusion of safety is only that.. an illusion. We did not stop going to theaters after the tragic events in Colorado. We do not stop travelling even though planes crash and hundreds perish. We do not hide in our homes because people die of virulent disease. We persist. We continue to live our lives. It is by vigilance and good grace that we make it from one day to the next. If we give in to fear we give in to paralysis and to those who would inflict us with fear. We give them their victory and encourage others to follow suite.

AND ultimately we open ourselves to the same fear that caused those violent individuals… those cowards… those desperate people who hide behind masks or screen names to become what they are.

Today I reminded my sons that courage is not the absence of fear. It is persistence in the face of fear.

Fear is the mother of violence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ-bq4E2AKc

Cheers,

R