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Just out of his teens, a young man climbed onto a roof and aimed his rifle.  He pulled the trigger, attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump and harm as many as he could in the short time he had remaining on earth.

It is a tragic story we have heard too many times to count.  The only difference was that a former U. S. president was involved instead of school-aged children, bystanders watching a parade, or worshipers attending faith services.

Many of these young people who turn to violence are those who are mentally unstable and deemed as outcasts.

“He was a loner who was quiet without many friends.”  It is a description of Thomas Crooks and others whose names are forever linked to evil, carnage, and death.

What changes a boy or a girl into a cold-blooded killer of innocent folks?  What pushes a person to murder elementary kids or the leader of a nation?

Many individuals who commit these terrible acts are dealing with depression, anger, and/or suicidal thoughts.  They have often experienced ridicule, mockery, and exclusion by their peers for extended periods.  These troubled souls feel like castaways, facing rejection, social isolation, and abandonment.

For anyone who has experienced bullying, you understand how horrible such an experience is.  It creates insecurity, distrust, and anxiety, the likes of which are impossible to fathom for many.   The longer the viciousness lasts, the damage produced is sometimes irreversible.

Too many teens tragically end their lives due to the relentless torment of bullying, while a few others, in a desperate attempt to retaliate, harm the lives of the innocent.

Guns should never be near those who suffer from mental health issues.  It’s too easy to succumb to suicide or murder when they are readily available.  How many deaths have occurred because we have ignored this glaring reality?   Perhaps that is why parents are held accountable today, but schools, churches, and peers also bear a responsibility that goes beyond what is currently acceptable.

Bullying must stop, and it begins at home.  Parents who do not teach their children about the impact of inhumanity should feel more than ashamed.  Teaching kindness, compassion, and understanding is far more critical than earning an A in algebra or excelling in sports.  We need to implement more anti-bullying programs in schools and provide mental health support for both bullies and victims.

Statistics are too numerous to name the relationship between violence and bullying.  Still, according to the U.S. Secret Service and the U. S. Department of Education, nearly three-quarters of school shooters have been bullied or harassed at school.

Today, it seems that in our political arena, bullying is an acceptable practice falling under the realm of freedom of speech.   How totally adult is such a ridiculous assumption.  Do we not understand the harm we cause when we are hateful?

“Living to die” is a statement associated with those taunted throughout their school years.  Some see no other way to become anything other than nobody.  Of course, not all bullying victims wound others, but all cruelty victims live with the nagging feeling that they aren’t quite good enough or forever wonder why they were targeted.

How many have taken their lives because of the insults and rants against them on social media?  Cyberbullying and suicides are rising at alarming rates among our youth, making suicide the third leading cause of death among our young people.

I was bullied for a while in high school.  I never understood why, but in the darkness of my room, I cried a thousand tears.  I hid my pain through being a loudmouth kid, but what if I didn’t have the personality or faith to guide me through the rejection?

How does the lost, lonely child gain hope without family support, friends, and faith?  Or does he give up his tomorrows, become enraged,  climb onto a roof, and aim a gun?

Our collective treatment of each other is the key to eradicating the evils that plague our society.  If we turn a blind eye to the unhappy child, ignore the bully, or accept unkindness as a norm, we all fail.  We fail our country, our children, and God.  But if we stand together, advocating for goodness, we can bring the societal change we desperately need.

I occasionally write what I believe are benign political remarks based on facts.  However, if someone deems my words critical of their political preferences, the harsh notes they pen are not even printable.

Writing ugly and inconsiderate words on a computer is a form of cruelty.  Remember that God reads, hears, and judges us by our actions, not our votes.

Where we go politically this year remains a mystery, but if we don’t consider how we treat others as a problem, we all go… nowhere.