Another senseless tragedy has jolted the nation. Kids Killing Kids. It has become an epidemic. This is the darkest of the dark side. The question that comes to mind here is "Why?"

The reasons stated in the media come fast and furious:

1. Blame the easy access of guns.
2. Blame the level of violence in the media.
3. Blame society.
4. Blame the parents.

In this multiple - horror question, the answer seems to be:

5. All of the above.

But, the true root of the problem is:

6. None of the above.

We see examples of the obvious answers every day:

- Guns are so available that eleven-year-olds can arm themselves with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons.

- Violence is prevalent in our lives. We live in a society that considers it entertainment to watch people getting beat up. Crowds cheer at boxing matches, when fights break out at hockey games, or the Jerry Springer show.

- Video games like Doom let children 'play' at brutally killing people.

- Impressionable young children are brought to "R" rated movies containing graphic violence (some as young as seven years old)! Is it any wonder our kids are so desensitized to violence? How can we expect these children to grow up to consider the consequences of their actions when their parents clearly don't?

Respect is important to adolescents. Unfortunately, many never learn to respect themselves first.

We hear from gang members, "He dissed me," as a reason for a drive-by shooting. The two shooters in Colorado claimed revenge for a perceived slight by athletes in the school.

In the past, when the big kid on block bullied a child, the victimized child had little recourse. Now, these children have easy access to weapons of destruction. They see this as a way to ensure they won't ever get bullied again. In their distorted view, they see this as a way for them to gain respect.

In our culture of instant gratification, kids express their anger in drastic and fatal ways, without considering the consequences.

We need to learn a new approach. Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating some "Brave New World," simply an approach to learn to deal with conflict in a positive manner.

The "Why Not" for this story is: "Why Not" use this tragedy to learn lessons to prevent it from ever happening again. Why Not teach children respect of themselves and of others. Respect of property, religious beliefs, and opinions.

Many large companies today teach a class, "Valuing Diversity." This is a great concept that should not be reserved for adult education alone. If a diverse workforce that works well together is important to large companies, "why not" partner with schools to provide this valuable education before negative attitudes are ingrained.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Nothing can make you feel inferior without your consent." Let's equip our children with the tools necessary to determine their response to the circumstances that confront them.

Those that know me know that I advocate Personal Self Defense (using your head, voice and body) to set effective boundaries and protect against violence. But I do not advocate guns. I realize that is a personal choice, but it is one I feel strongly about.

If a child is playing with a loaded gun, what do you do? Disarm the child. Ideally, disarm the child in a manner that does not kill him. Better yet, "why not" teach them not to play with guns in the first place.

A while ago, a local NBC station ran a news story about a program to teach children what to do if they found a gun. This program was very effective as demonstrated by hidden cameras observing two groups of kids in a room with a gun. The group that didn't receive training pointed the weapon at each other. One child even looked down the barrel while his hand was on the trigger (to the horror of his mother watching behind the two-way mirror!). The group that received training did what they learned. They stayed away from the gun.

"Why not" make training like this mandatory. Sadly, instead, many people buy children toy guns and reinforce the idea that playing with guns is acceptable.

My prayers and thoughts are with all those affected by the

My prayers and thoughts are with all those affected by the horrible events at Columbine. So many bright futures cut off. So many others permanently scarred with the memories. The pain they are feeling is unimaginable except to those who have been through it. I pray we can learn lessons about the root causes and put into action effective measures to prevent anyone from having to suffer similar pain every again.

Emotionally, humanity is in its childhood. Is humanity ever going to mature to the point of overcoming our brutal nature? Or, are we all just angry children playing with loaded guns?