I came across this video randomly on twitter, without any real context. All the caption had read was one simple word-- "Chills."
And I promise you, that one single word is exactly what I felt by the end of the video.
The Sandy Hook Promise was created after the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took place on December 14, 2012 and claimed twenty six lives. This shooting was a flashbulb memory for many people living in this day and age. Twenty children, from the ages of six to seven, and six adults went to school as what they believed to be a normal day, and never came home. Teachers and students alike did as much as they could to save others, hiding them in cubbies, so on and so forth.
Since then, a large number of other mass shootings have happened all across our country. Schools. Universities. Night Clubs. Concerts. Stores. So many places across our country have innocent blood all over them. Now, it feels as if nothing is safe.
One minute and seven seconds. The video from Sandy Hook Promise only lasted one minute and seven seconds, but it gave us a glimpse into the scary reality of what it is like to live through one of these horrifying events.
We have become so desensitized to these terrible events that it is hard for us to feel the same pain we felt when the news of Sandy Hook ran through the media. At this point, it wouldn't be too shocking if we opened our phones to see headlines of a mass shooting. But when it finally happens in your own town, the shock is paralyzing. Why are we even risking the chance?
We think of professions like police officers, firefighters, etc. as their job being so dangerous that every day they leave for work, there's a huge risk of them not returning home to their families. Now, this level of danger is spread to teaching, and simply being a student. It shouldn't be this way.
Mass shootings are preventable. We can push for our Government to make legislation. We can advocate for better mental health awareness. There are so many things that we can do to keep our children, our friends, and ourselves safe, but there are even more things our Government can do. Question is, why haven't they?
To watch the Sandy Hook Promise "Back To School" video, please click here. I highly suggest you do.
