Innocence Lost

From the time I first learned to read, in the days of innocence, I have always been fascinated by the power of words to evoke images, convey meaning, and stimulate the imagination.  That is, until Friday, December 14, 2012. The words I heard and the images they created in my imagination on that day brought only horror and sorrow in mind-numbing waves of shock.  Innocence and innocents died on that day when unspeakable evil came to Newtown, Connecticut.

“This can’t be happening,” was the global thought as breaking news bulletins spread the sad message around the world that twenty little children and six courageous teachers fell victim to a merciless spray of bullets in a heinous act of violence.  Words, then, became too painful to bear as the collective mind of humanity recoiled from the blow of hell’s fury.

Lyrics from a Gordon Lightfoot classic have been reverberating through my brain since this story first began to unfold:  “Does anyone know where the love of God goes…?”  I don’t presume to have an answer to that question, but it continues to force its way into my consciousness nonetheless.  I can only hope – yes, and pray, too – that God’s plan for this world never included such a slaughter.  Ironically, Scripture tells us that around the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod, after hearing tales of the arrival of a new King, ordered a massacre of young children in an effort to eradicate a possible usurper of his throne.  The Christian Church remembers this event annually in December as the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  It takes on new significance now as the wailing of parents from 2000 years ago is echoed today in small town America.

Shock, sadness, grief and anger have consumed millions of ordinary people over the last few days as they struggle to process the pain of this horrific deed.  Going forward, determination to eliminate weapons such as those used in this attack from mainstream society should be the driving force of all citizenry.  Guns capable of firing hundreds of bullets in succession should be prohibited to the exclusive domain of the military or law enforcement; permitting them to be purchased by private individuals (for whatever reason) is absolutely ludicrous.  The right to bear arms has obviously been taken too far. 

It will take a concerted effort to bring about stricter gun regulations in the land of the free, but what alternative is there?  Schools were never meant to be killing grounds.