I live in Michigan. Last year we had a terrorist attack which killed five students at Oxford High School. This week Michigan made the headlines again as another terrorist killed three students and wounded five more on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU). One of the freshman students at MSU who survived this attack was a senior at Oxford High School and retraumatized at the events, having lived through the same just a few months ago. Law enforcement found a two-page letter on the suspect who killed himself after the attack. In the letter, they read expressions of hurt regarding his employer and a relationship in his church.
People in our communities, legislature, and other areas in societies are asking for gun control reform to assist in reducing the number of these violent crimes. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. In my trainings I often speak of being "short" with people periodically. This acronym means SHORT - HURT - OVERWHELMED - REJECTED - TIRED. People in the world are stressed about situations and circumstances, many out of their control. They don't have people to talk to about their mental and emotional baggage because they do not know who to trust. Many do not believe they have an issue. Others are isolated or do not have a core to expose their challenges and difficulties. All around us we have walking wounding, harboring pain, bitterness, and resentment in their hurt lockers.
Our world is made of people who have various relationships with one another. The success of these relationships is rooted and grounded in love. Love allows us to intervene when an intervention is needed. Love allows us to be authentic in our communication and interaction with each other. Love yields demonstrations of empathy and sympathy when those around us are experiencing life at its hardest. Love causes us to care. The events taking place in our world are not new; however, the Internet, social media, smartphones, and cameras attached to them allow us to get updates as they happen. Years ago we would wait on the journalists to write stories published in newspapers and magazines.
No matter how the information is disseminated, we must practice the care that comes from love. While there are different degrees and applications of love, it remains the one emotion that connects the heart, mind, and soul. We must do better of connecting people around us and making sure we are okay. Love is intentional. Love is intrusive. Love is deliberate. Love is unconditional. Love matters. Start reaching out to people around and make sure people are feeling connected. Do not be misled by the expressions on faces when there are deeper, untapped issues in the heart. Don't be afraid to care or be open and transparent. We need to talk less. We need to listen more. We need to care. We need to love.
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