Links: violence
Jul. 14th, 2022 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soniaHaltom City, TX gunman who killed 2 people, injured 3 officers and 1 neighbor, served in Army by James Hartley.
The gunman left the company I work for a year ago, having worked there for a year. He and the two people he killed were close friends of one of my coworkers. My coworker was out for a few days (of course!) and returned today. I chatted with him a bit, and he said he's getting used to the idea of this person just being gone, not existing anymore when the rest of his life is going on like normal. And that he's gone through the stages of grief and has gotten to acceptance. "The first round!" I said.
Which was already more than I needed to say. We're trying to work out the dynamics where he likes to figure things out for himself and so he blocks out what I try to teach about programming, which makes me feel shut out and ignored and devalued. At least I get credit for not saying, "Oh you sweet summer child!" He's not that young, probably almost 3x the age I was when my grandmother died. My second grandmother, come to think of it. How does someone get to be late 20s without having experienced the death of someone close to him before?? I didn't say any of that. And I did say this sucks and is awful and I'm so glad to hear he's talking to someone and getting help.
I'm only peripherally affected - this time. I notice the gun violence epidemic circling closer to me just as I know more people who are ill with Covid lately.
Recipes for times of free fall by Havi Brooks. I used to read Havi's blog around 2008 when she was in Portland. I'm not sure what made me drop in now, but I'm including this post because the idea of being in free fall (but maybe there's more steadiness than we realize) resonated for me, and also her story about taking a visitor to get the world's best fresh pomegranate juice at the Tel Aviv market.
It suddenly made me wonder if this is why Israel had such a unified and strong response to sheltering in place and vaccination against Covid. They already know. Like I was talking with someone in comments somewhere, the trauma is already familiar. The feelings are just as uncomfortable, but not a shock in themselves. People in Israel are already (heartbreakingly) used to crowds being dangerous.
Then again, my aunt there didn't get vaccinated. I'd blocked that out for a while because I find it so upsetting.
The gunman left the company I work for a year ago, having worked there for a year. He and the two people he killed were close friends of one of my coworkers. My coworker was out for a few days (of course!) and returned today. I chatted with him a bit, and he said he's getting used to the idea of this person just being gone, not existing anymore when the rest of his life is going on like normal. And that he's gone through the stages of grief and has gotten to acceptance. "The first round!" I said.
Which was already more than I needed to say. We're trying to work out the dynamics where he likes to figure things out for himself and so he blocks out what I try to teach about programming, which makes me feel shut out and ignored and devalued. At least I get credit for not saying, "Oh you sweet summer child!" He's not that young, probably almost 3x the age I was when my grandmother died. My second grandmother, come to think of it. How does someone get to be late 20s without having experienced the death of someone close to him before?? I didn't say any of that. And I did say this sucks and is awful and I'm so glad to hear he's talking to someone and getting help.
I'm only peripherally affected - this time. I notice the gun violence epidemic circling closer to me just as I know more people who are ill with Covid lately.
Recipes for times of free fall by Havi Brooks. I used to read Havi's blog around 2008 when she was in Portland. I'm not sure what made me drop in now, but I'm including this post because the idea of being in free fall (but maybe there's more steadiness than we realize) resonated for me, and also her story about taking a visitor to get the world's best fresh pomegranate juice at the Tel Aviv market.
Did I have a moral obligation (and either way, was it a good idea or not), to inform him that suicide bombings in the market were a thing, and that we were making the opposite of smart life choices, those being to avoid crowded places and steer clear of obvious target areas…
It suddenly made me wonder if this is why Israel had such a unified and strong response to sheltering in place and vaccination against Covid. They already know. Like I was talking with someone in comments somewhere, the trauma is already familiar. The feelings are just as uncomfortable, but not a shock in themselves. People in Israel are already (heartbreakingly) used to crowds being dangerous.
Then again, my aunt there didn't get vaccinated. I'd blocked that out for a while because I find it so upsetting.
