Parkland

Parkland was different. Parkland was something else. Parkland represents to me the change of perspective of a thematic, the one of gun controls that signed a before and after in this long discussion: "What to do?"

This thematic has always been felt by me in a strong way because I do believe in life and losing the life because of a mass shootings, no. It's too much.

I lost American friends and their friendship because of my opinions regarding a regulation of arms in the USA years ago and I was sorry because to me policy shouldn't enter in a friendship, or, what I thought that it was a friendship with distant friends and of course, distant, different visions.

In our country, Italy, there is a different regulation and people who want to keep arms must follow certain steps (they change from regions to regions; a friend told me that she made pee in front of a person because they wanted to avoid that the person requesting the permission of keeping arms could have brought the pee of someone else, and she did wagons of other blood tests for excluding the use of drugs etc) and yes there is some bureocracy.

I live in a countryside where I am surrounded by hunters; everyone's got guns but problems to them don't exist.

In the USA, a regulation of gun controls would mean a tragedy. But to me no one would lose anything. The NRA would continue to sell arms; if people are arms addicted they would continue to buying it; but with more certainty that people using them have a solid mind.

I was at long a Boston Globe Subscriber, and I continue to thank the editor and the customer care office; I miss the prestigious colleagues of the Globe and their pieces.

Boston is a city that I adore, and during the years I was subscribed I read a lot about mass shootings. Presidents cried, but no one was in grade to do anything.

I think that the most devastating episode, the one touched me more profoundly was the mass shootings in a church; a white man killed nine black people. He went to their Bible Study every week, he was integrated. But substantially he did it for racism.

Where this society goes? A society unable to speak of life, but just catastrophs, just death.

A society in search of death will create new dead people everyday for a reason or another.

But...Everytime I read these pieces of the Globe what scared me to death was resignation. These horrible people killed, but survivors or relatives of deceased people didn't feel any desire of doing anything for interrupting all of it.

I found it shocking.

The last year it was a sunny Valentine's Day. I still remember when I had American correspondents in my twenties. We sent each other greetings cards; I received teddy bears, box of chocolates in sign of affection, friendship, and love. It was a moment for celebrating love, friendship, dedication. To me Saint Valentine is a beautiful day.

Saint Valentine, the saint celebrated in a couple of days, realitically was born in my region Umbria, in Terni. He was killed because he married couples when politicians didn't permit it.

Saint Valentine was a splendid person, pacific and he truly believed that love was important and sacred. That life, after all, was sacred.

It was shocking, of course, to learn that someone had killed a lot of students in its own ex-school the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School located in Parkland, Florida. And that he did it with with a war-gun. And that he did it on Saint Valentine's Day.

I was ready to read: mournings, a declaration of the President that would have said that these facts are horribles and many condolences to the families of victims "We are all close to you in these difficult moments" and that's it.

Just the Boston Globe tried all its best, speaking and treating largely the problem of mass shootings and gun controls. It became a crusade for the most important newsmagazine of Massachusetts.

Then, something, unexpectadly happened; and it was time. It was a miracle to me. A miracle of love, because when you see death, when you see that some of your friends lost their existences senslessly, well, you must react, because you don't want anymore to see this horror, you want a change, a change of perspective, a big change in a society that, evidently doesn't give to its citizens a safe place where to grow up harmonically and in peace or where, just to live a good quality-life.

Fighting means loving.

I was starting to think that this generation of teenagers was not like my generation where we occupied schools (I was a leader, can you believe it?) for changing what we didn't like. It's not said that it always works, but people who protest, to me make the difference, in particular when teenagers, in particular when dreams can become true, because everything is possible and that wind is a wild, beautiful wind.

I was wrong. These teenagers are spendid and last Valentine's Day in Parkland they became  abruptly adults, responsibles. They lost forever their innocence and the idea that the world where they were living in was a safe place. They discovered in all the possible atrocity, the other side of the coin.

They asked to being received by the President expressing him all their fury: a change of regulation of the current laws about gun controls indispensible, they remarked with strength.

Not anymore the so-called kids, no, but young people who, consciently decided to make the difference. In a few seconds they became survivors and adults.

Survivors often ask to themselves: why didn't I die? when a tragedy involves a lot of people.

They found an answer, precise, clean like the water of a beautiful river: because they had a mission, a crusade: stopping that non-sense, banning arms too dangerous, changing a system.

For all that people dead, for all the people who didn't have the courage of the rebellion, for all that people passed away senselessly; for their schoolmates, for the staffers of the school, for themselves and one day, not too far, after all, for their children.

David Hogg and friends started a serious movement the #NeverAgain one that I supported from the beginning, for let know to people what it means to see their schoolmates dying; what they experienced and why it is so urgent to change regulation of gun controls. Students in a school must stay safe, they must know that they enter in a place where they will learn, sharing experiences and thinking just at their world, that should still be beauty and surrounded by schoolworks, friendship, good things, and not thought like this: "Will there be someone outside in grade to do what happened to Parkland?"

It's a crucial story this one, because the security of schools, of churches and public places to my point of view can't pass adding more guns in a school or arming a priest in case of a potential mass shooter. OK, the second example is surreal but... You see: what these students want and what it is indispensible to do to my point of view in the American society is restore peace.

Why this peace was lost and why this violence increased terribly, creating always new people mourning for departures of their dear ones, and new survivors it's an exam I leave to you, but it's a work that must be done.

David Hogg&Friends created a movement listened in all their country and outside.

Manifestations started to take place in New York City, Boston, Western States, in every possible city; these teen-agers said what they wanted to do.

Not only: what I love the most is also the sensibilization started regarding the possibility of...voting for remarking important ideas, and for electing people in grade to be supportive and helpful once in power.

No one in the past, in particular if very young cared a lot  about voting for the elections, but now that there is a mission, teenagers and young adults are in love for voting and for affirming in that way their ideas.

You see: this one is another miracle because it means that this new generation is thinking differently. They want to be a strong light in this world.

And I was thinking: I was thinking at a year ago (in two days) and at the miracles happened in the while thanks to these teenagers and their sensibilization in a society, the American one that sometimes must be shaken; at the cost of human lives and existences but also at a world that slowly slowly thanks to these young adults is changing.

I am waiting my copy of Parkland by Dave Cullen for being read and reviewed but in the while I suggest you the book. The first chapters can be found on BuzzFeed and they're brilliant. 

Anna Maria Polidori