Root Causes

In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the issue of violence in our schools and communities has taken on a heightened sense of urgency. There has been much discussion around guns and legislation. What appears to be missing from the national discourse, however, is a conversation that examines the root causes of violence. Rather than pointing our fingers at the perpetrators and labeling them "mentally ill" or "monsters," we need to dive deeper...

We all have a deep-seeded, primal need to connect with others and feel that we belong. It's as vital a need as food and water. So what happens when a young person is deprived of this need? What happens when he or she is excluded from the group? Feelings of loneliness, isolation, and fear inevitably turn to anger—an anger that may fester for years before being expressed as rage.

So what's the answer? What can we do?

We might ask ourselves what role we're playing in perpetuating the problem of violence in our schools and communities. How do we treat the outsiders, the ones who are different, strange, weird, and possibly dangerous...the ones who sit alone in the far corner of the cafeteria? Would it be possible to reach out to them?

When we perceive each other as separate, when we exclude those who are different, who seem strange or weird, we plant the seeds of violence...

When we realize the truth of how deeply connected we are, reaching out to the excluded ones becomes as natural as breathing. The possibility of a new order of reality emerges—one in which the seeds of violence are transformed into seeds of peace...

My novel, A Hero Dreams, explores the problem of violence (and its causes) through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy named Ricky. It follows Ricky's journey to the edge of a threshold, where he will face the most important decision of his life—a decision we will all need to face sooner or later.

What kind of world do we want to live in?

A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
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