Unanswerable questions.

This is my 400th blip. No fanfares or celebrations. Just a simple question - why?

Many items in the news make me sad. Many more make me angry. A few make me despair. Man's inhumanity to man it would seem knows no bounds.

This weekend I have been grappling with understanding the most recent appalling tragedy to be perpetrated in the 'land of the free'.

Some of you may know that I am a teacher. A primary teacher. An infant teacher. A teacher of 6 and 7 year olds. I have a class of 31 children. To imagine 20 of them gunned down in cold blood makes MY blood run cold.

How would I have reacted in the circumstances faced by those teachers on Friday? Would I have had the presence of mind to push the children out of sight? What was going through the mind of Adam Lanza as he pointed his gun at those children? He was barely out of childhood himself.

Of course there are no answers to these questions but other questions must surely be asked and answers found.

I have NO DOUBTS WHATSOEVER that events like this have their roots in our increasing acceptance of and immersion in violence as entertainment. Why does violence sell computer games? If, as we are told, what we watch has no effect upon us, why are billions spent on tv advertising? Why, in the most popular programmes on tv, do the solutions to problems all too frequently appear to be violent? Do people REALLY think that the way to react to a girlfriend leaving is to burn her house down or worse? The trailers for Eastenders over the 'festive period' are full of revenge, hatred and other extremes of behaviour. Where is the comfort and joy of Christmas?

I hope and pray that even in America the events of the last few days will pull people up short and bring them to realise that the 'right to bear arms' is only a right if you also take responsibility.

R.I.P. Dawn Hochsprung, Victoria Soto, Mary Sherlach, Lauren Rousseau, Anne Marie Murphy, Rachel Davino - all killed trying to protect children in a profession that is about giving children the best start in life.

And the children.

Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeline Hsu, 6
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison Wyatt, 6

And finally please spare a thought for the family and friends of Nancy Lanza, killed by her son.