Over the course of seven days, there have been two mass shootings where multiple victims perished. Barely legal-aged adult Caucasian males committed both. Both fit the description of the average mass shooter in America. Males between the age of sixteen and twenty-three-years-old, with no previous signs of reckless violence, seem to wake up with a premeditated desire to extinguish the lives of unsuspecting individuals without remorse. If this is what going back to normal is, you can keep the normal.
We as a nation have struggled to survive during a pandemic that has taken many lives daily. Yes, it has kept many in isolation, and indeed, that was debilitating to some’s mental well-being. The issue is these disturbed individuals were like this before lockdown. And there are more of them out there waiting for an opportunity to become infamous. We can’t wait until a family member sees their loved one on the news to say, I think he’s flipped his lid. Ask your folks if they are okay and if they say yes, ask them again. If not checking in on your folks is normal, you can keep the normal.
In America, we became numb to mass shootings occurring monthly. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wish to return to seeing grief-stricken people on every news cycle wondering why these incidents continue. Some things happened before COVID-19. I’d like them to stay in the past. Mass shootings of defenseless individuals are one of them.
As we slowly emerge from isolation due to the pandemic, we need to adapt to new behaviors. The tragedies that plagued us from years gone by should not be allowed to return. We all want to live harmoniously. If acceptance of what was normalized in the past begins to grow again, the light of day will continue to be foreshadowed. If that’s what you’re willing to accept as normal, you can keep the normal.