Tragedy in Uvalde and Buffalo

I’m blessed to be an uncle many times over. I have many nieces and nephews of various ages, and their presence in my life has been the source of much joy and personal growth.

At the time of this writing, I know that nineteen children and two teachers were murdered at a school in Uvalde, Texas, not long after the ten murders committed by a single killer at a store in Buffalo, New York.

I will not name the murderers, as giving them publicity is exactly what they want. Instead, I will highlight the heroism of Aaron Salter Jr., a former police lieutenant in Buffalo who drew his sidearm and fired on the murderer at the store, fighting back and buying time for unarmed citizens to flee the scene. Aaron Salter Jr. laid down his life to protect the people around him, and no doubt saved lives.

The news of these criminal actions hits hard. I can’t even imagine what the families of the victims are going through, and as an uncle I can hardly stand to contemplate such an atrocity happening to one of my nieces or nephews.

Such evils would have been unthinkable even a few decades ago. I remember my dad talking about how, when he was in school, it wasn’t uncommon for kids to bring their guns to school because they were going out hunting or heading down to the range after school. They left their guns in lockers or in their cars, yet no one had to worry about such murders happening because, well, it was unthinkable.

Times have changed since then. Human life is cheapened. We live in a time of unprecedented levels of depression, anxiety, broken homes, crushed dreams, drugs, and nihilism. Kids grow up being told their lives don’t matter, that there is no objective truth, that the world is broken, and that nothing will get better. Such an anti-human narrative has deadly consequences.

I ask those of you who are believers to join me in praying for the victims of these atrocities. We have to stop and grieve for the lives lost to these criminal attacks.

Our whole reason for being pro-abundant life is our conviction that all people have value and dignity, no matter their age, creed, ethnicity, or any other characteristic. This belief in the sacredness of all human life is in many respects the antidote to such evils as were committed in Buffalo and Uvalde.

The nihilism, hate, and despair which breeds such violence can only be undone by the administration of the loving truth: the truth that life has meaning, that life has value, that there is hope and goodness and true love in the world, and that death and violence do not and cannot have the final say.

We stand convicted in our belief of the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn, young and old, healthy and ill, and in particular that of our innocent children. The tragic deaths of these innocent people, in particular the children in Texas, is a call to action – a call to love the people around us, to reach out to those in despair, to treat even strangers with love, and to show hope and meaning to those who have given up on both.

For those who have lost their lives, we pray…

Michael Dumais