Dear Editor:

I have been thinking a lot lately about the victims of tragedy. It’s often in and through tragedy that people find their most powerful motivation and voice to help incite change and growth in others. I can’t help feel, however, it is terribly unfair that people who have personally experienced tragedy must continue to be the brave ones who fight for change.

What is it about our species, who has the most advanced brains on the planet, and opposable thumbs, to boot, that makes us unwilling to see the pain of others until we experience it firsthand? Do you really need to wait until your own child or relative is gunned down in Walmart to feel like gun violence is out of control in this country? Do you need to have a child diagnosed with a terrible illness before you can want affordable health care for all citizens? Do you really have to be arrested for a crime that you didn’t commit, to appreciate the need for prison reform? Do you have to flee a corrupt government and terrible violence seeking asylum before you can recognize that people all deserve to be treated like humans? Do you really need your drinking water rationed to understand that climate change is real? Why are we so complacent when it comes to the pain of others? What is so radical and un-American about wanting all people, regardless of background, to be able to grow up in an environment that is safe and supportive? Do you really want to wait to experience these traumas firsthand before you are willing to stand up and say enough?

Fellow humans, you are capable of empathy for a reason! Remove your blinders, and permit yourself to see the pain of others ... and decide to help advocate for change BEFORE you experience firsthand what it means to really suffer.

It is time for the masses to stand together and demand change! Stop waiting for the $#!% to hit your personal fan ...

Heather Green

Cody