Children Will Listen

                   
This past Saturday our nation was thunderstruck by a senseless act of violence: a shooting in Tucson, Arizona that took the lives of six and wounded 14 others at a “meet and greet” hosted by Arizona Representative Gabrielle Gifford, who was also one of the victims. Like so many of us, upon hearing the shocking news, I asked myself, “WHY?”


Immediately after the Tucson tragedy, many fingers pointed north to Alaska, because of a map Sarah Palin had posted on her website. It might be a natural connection to assume that the cross-hairs map had an influence on the shooter – although he has made no statement to that effect and there is no solid evidence of that assumed influence.

It is important to note that guilt for this horrible act rests exclusively on Jared Lee Loughner’s shoulders. The ensuing debate concerning responsibility for, and/or influence over the shooter’s actions has also struck me profoundly.

My travels this week have involved a great deal of driving and I took the opportunity to take along the soundtrack to one of my favorite musicals of all time, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. This may seem like an abrupt change of subject to you, but follow me for a moment. Much of my life has been deeply entrenched in music and theater. Lyrics from musical theater have often verbalized emotional responses for me when I could not seem to verbalize them myself. On one leg of my journey this week, I hit upon a moment in the finale of Into the Woods that reduced me to tears, and I had to pull over on the side of the road and finally let the grief I had repressed regarding this horrendous crime work its way out of me.

Stephen Sondheim eloquently verbalized my feelings at the moment (and a larger point I have communicated here many times) with these words:

Careful the things you say
Children will listen
Careful the things you do
Children will see and learn
Children may not obey, but children will listen
Children will look to you for which way to turn
To learn what to be
Careful before you say "Listen to me"
Children will listen

Through all the posturing and dialoging that has gone on this week, I think the best insight came from International Space Station Commander Scott Kelly (Gabby Gifford’s brother-in-law):

"As I look out the window, I see a very beautiful planet that seems very inviting and peaceful. Unfortunately, it is not. These days, we are constantly reminded of the unspeakable acts of violence and damage we can inflict upon one another, not just with our actions but also with our irresponsible words. We are better than this. We must do better."


High Road Challenge for the Week: Think before you speak. Think before you write. Consider who might act upon your words and in what context. Distill your words through this filter: “Is what I’m about to say or publish true? Is it kind? How might it incite people to action? Is it responsible? Is it necessary?