Bear Down, Tucson

Today my thoughts are with my friends in Tucson, Arizona. I love Tucson. I went to college there, and so today my heart hurts. What happened there on Saturday is a complete and utter tragedy.

But what seems to be happening in the aftermath is worse. The swiftness with which blame was thrown, fingers pointed, and violent retaliation was called for happened at near light speed. The cretin who pulled the trigger? It was his fault. Plain and simple.

Today I watched two kids walk down the hallway at school, pretending to be robots. How do we go from the innocence of pretending to be robots to the ill-mannered finger-pointers that have been on the airwaves this weekend?

I'm sick and tired of bad behavior. I'm sick and tired of bad behavior getting all the attention. It seems the louder somebody yells or the more bleeps they can produce on T.V., the more attention they're given. Enough. Enough already.

You want a little dose of reality? Reality isn't T.V. It isn't questioning the paternity of your baby while you spend $300 you didn't earn on a pair of designer jeans you don't need. It isn't calling someone a foul name because they stole your boyfriend. It isn't even sitting in a coffee shop bemoaning your wretched little life.

Reality is standing up and taking responsibility for your own actions. It's earning your keep. It's serving others and taking care of your family. It's doing what's right. All the time. Every time. It's behaving in a civil manner, even when you don't want to. When something goes wrong in your life, and you're looking for someone to blame, look in the mirror.

In Tucson's case, let's blame the guy who pulled the trigger. Let's take a stand against bad behavior. Let's not pay it any attention, except to point it out to our children and say, "don't you EVER DARE behave like that." And then if they do, love them anyway. Then pretend you're a robot and chill out.

Tucson, I love you. I stand with you. May the warmth of the desert warm your hearts and heal your wounds. Bear Down.