Saturday, August 24, 2013

Let's Celebrate The Heroes, Instead

I don't mean 'heroes' like athletes who set records or movie stars who only pretend to be heroic on film.  I mean heroes like Antoinette Tuff, who prevented another American school shooting from being added to the already way, way too long list.

It seems like many of the deranged gunmen - it's never women - do what they do to become famous, regardless of who they have to kill to get there.  But it's the heroes in those situations whose names we should remember, not the villains: the first responders, the teachers who've died trying to shield their students with their bodies and the parents who've somehow managed to keep going through the motions after enduring the unthinkable.  So let's add Antoinette Tuff's name to our short- and long-term memories today.  She talked a would-be mass murderer down, not by leveling a gun at him but by relating to him as a human being.  She's worth remembering, and the courage and compassion she demonstrated is certainly worth celebrating.

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