Finding the Christmas spirit in difficult times

I was debating just what to write in this space this weekend, although I knew from the outset it would be holiday themed.  I knew I would touch on the Niagara Symphony Holiday Pops concerts this weekend, the second of which is this afternoon at 2:30 in case you are interested.  But I have been preoccupied with the news the past few days and by way of a cathartic exercise, I will write here what thoughts I have assembled thus far and get it out of me into the open.

By my calculations there have been three shootings in the United States this week alone:  one at a mall, one yesterday at a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, and of course, the terrible tragedy at a school in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday morning.  While the Newtown killings are by far the worst we've seen for some time, especially since 20 small children have died at the hand of a young gunman whose mental state is being called into question, all deaths due to gunmen in public places such as we saw this week are tragic.  A life is a life, be it young or old.

Thankfully the Alabama shootings only involved two people injured save for the gunman, killed by police on the spot.  Should he have been killed as quickly as he was?  Probably not, but I understand the reaction given the events of Friday morning.  But the larger question following the past year of gun violence in the States has to be asked:  should anyone be allowed to have in their possession a gun or should restrictions be placed on them?

I know this is not an easy question to answer, and I for one do not claim to know the answer.  But I do know putting more guns in the hands of more people in order to properly defend themselves, as suggested by some in the States, is clearly not the answer.  Gun control would help, of course, but that would be a bitter pill to swallow for our neighbours to the south.  We have gun control here in Canada, but some still acquire guns and use them to kill people, but certainly not on the scale people do in the States.  Still, something has to be done and unless we can come up with a better solution, stiffer gun control laws wouldn't hurt.

The mental stability of the people involved in these shootings is always called into question and you have to ask how these people manage to fall through the cracks and people don't provide the help required before it is too late.  Some way must be found to detect, somehow, something is wrong with an individual before it is too late and the inevitable happens.

When I was at the Niagara Symphony concert last evening I watched people in the lobby, safe in the knowledge we are generally safe in the world we live in, able to go home and continue to prepare for Christmas or whatever celebration they have this month.  But life can change in an instant, as we saw this week more than once.  Christmas won't come to the people of Newtown, Connecticut this year, nor for many years to come as they continue to grieve their loss, I suspect.

My heart aches for these people and what they must be feeling right now.  But I also continue to have faith in mankind that we will find a way out of this, hopefully sooner rather than later.  We have to; we owe it to our own children to find a way before it is too late.

This Christmas, as you gather your family around for the holiday season, enjoy what we have and the celebrations that ensue.  Enjoy the gifts, the music, the decorations.  But take more than a moment this season to be especially thankful for what we have and what we ourselves thankfully have not had to endure.  The people of Newtown need our prayers, our support, and whatever help we can give them in order to get through this tragedy.

This Christmas, let's try to practice "Peace on earth; good will toward men."  We need it now more than ever.

December 17th, 2012.