A uniquely American tragedy
Theodora Lau
American Banker Top 20 Most Influential Women in Fintech | Book Author - Beyond Good (2021), Metaverse Economy (2023) | Founder - Unconventional Ventures | Podcast - One Vision | Advisor | Public Speaker | Top Voice |
A celebration turned into chaos. Music and laughter replaced by sounds of gunshots and sirens. Faces of innocents turned into statistics: Fifteen people suffered life-threatening wound; eleven people hurt were children.
This was the scene from earlier the week when a rally celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs turned tragic, but it might as well describe what America has been going through. Merely six weeks into 2024, 5003 lives have been lost to gun violence; 31 children aged 0 through 11 have been killed, along with 148 teens aged 12 through 17.
Dreams shattered. Families torn apart. For many, lives will never be the same.
This hit too close to home. Just a few days ago, our own school experienced a gun threat (which turned out to be a false alarm), and another school in the county received a bomb threat.
As I was digesting the news, our morning routine replayed in my head. I couldn’t help but think about the last lunch that I packed for the kids this morning: it could have been their last. The mere act of dropping the kids off at the bus stop? That could have been our final goodbye.
We talk a lot about the importance of fostering an environment where children can thrive. How can we expect them to learn effectively when danger looms in the background? ?Suddenly, nothing that we do seem to matter anymore —?if we cannot provide them with the reassurance that everything will be okay.
Because things are not okay.
The sun is shining bright outside, and we have just welcomed the new year of the dragon. Signs of spring and new beginnings are everywhere. But my heart weighs heavy.
As a parent, I am tired of feeling helpless.
What can we do?
What should we do?
We feel numb.
The silence is deafening. Empty words of condolences and prayers can’t bring lives back.
领英推荐
A senseless, yet avoidable tragedy.
If only we value human lives more than gun rights.
If only those in power have the will to do what is right — to take concrete action.?
Yet, we look. In horror.
We stood. In silence.
We wait.
Like sitting ducks.
Rage replaced by sadness.
As we return to our routine.
Until the next tragedy.
No one is safe.
Because nowhere is safe anymore.
Business Owner at TKT home made mosla products
9 个月Great share
Helping you make sense of going Cashless | Best-selling author of "Cashless" and "Innovation Lab Excellence" | Consultant | Speaker | Top media source on China's CBDC, the digital yuan | China AI and tech
9 个月"Nowhere is safe anymore." How true and all in the name of freedom? What is equally concerning is that the US is becoming desensitized to the horror. The monthly death toll is now shrugged off as "the new normal." Meanwhile, anyone watching from abroad is gobsmacked by the US's ability to ignore, shrug-off, or downplay the magnitude of the problem.
Recruiting exceptional creatives from around the world to Laetro: The Connected Creative Community. Community Keeper & Talent Seeker, Copywriter
9 个月Thank you for writing about this, sharing your feelings, and posting here on LinkedIn. It just feels impossible that people are going out to celebrations, their schools, grocery stores and be met with life-altering or life-ending gun violence. But it's reality. I've been exploring https://www.everytown.org/ and https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/ about how to get involved. If anyone else who happens to read this has recommendations for gun violence prevention, I'd love to hear about it. Thank you, again, Theodora Lau ?
Associate Director @ TopRank Marketing | Influencer & Social Media Marketing
9 个月Thank you for using your platform to share about this epidemic and your validated fears.
Lead Future Tech with Human Impact| CEO & Founder, Top 100 Women of the Future | Award winning Fintech and Future Tech Influencer| Educator| Keynote Speaker | Advisor| Responsible AI, VR, Metaverse Web3
9 个月Where do you want to live? Getting more difficult to find places where we feel safe. Thanks for this reflection Theo!