08/15/2026
A Brief Word on the Warner Robins High School Shooting:
Since Warner Robins made national news by joining the long and tragic history of American towns experiencing school shootings, how long have you stepped away from social media or the internet in general to meditate upon it? What was the span of time, from first receiving a notification with “breaking news” in your area, that you took to ponder the situation in silence? How long did you allow your own mind, as an individual, to deeply think and consider the causes, effects & ramifications of this shooting on your own before seeking out the opinions & commentary of others on the matter? Or, with a glaze of expertise, posting your own with obligatory hashtags of “thoughts & prayers” as garnish?
Be honest with yourself on this and then ask yourself if that truly was an appropriate amount of time to adequately digest the subject matter prior to forming any solid position or jumping on the opinion train of others.
The mental plague of our day is the deliberate conditioning of the masses to eagerly jump onto platforms or dive into comment threads while an issue is still “breaking news,” without even some semblance of actual reflection, for fear that our commentary won’t go viral while the hashtag is still hot. The masses choose a binary side of any given issue provided to them by corporate media and begin the social media Superbowl with an opposing side as society grinds towards oblivion with no ability to respond to anything.
As they have been well taught to simply react.
While I, as a former resident of Warner Robins who also served time in the halls of Warner Robins High School in my formative years, will be expressing my thoughts and feelings on the matter, it won’t be today. Perhaps not even tomorrow or the day following that.
As someone who understands that words hold more power than any stock of ammunition, I will be, in typical fashion, taking the appropriate amount of time to properly process all the available information thus far before drawing any hard lines in the sand of commentary or opinion. Especially before I go spraying those thoughts or opinions over the internet, where most go to acquire the “thoughts” they try to convince others are their own.
Just seems like the responsible thing to do, ya know?
In the meantime, there is something constructive we can do besides argue about this tragedy online. We can invest some actual time, attention and presence into the young people growing up in our community.
Later this month, my friends over at Restoration & Resilience Initiative, Inc. will be hosting an event centered around mentoring and reaching the youth of our community. In light of what Warner Robins has just experienced, I can't think of a more appropriate time to support people willing to get off the internet and actually engage with the generation we're all suddenly so eager to have opinions about.
Maybe before we ask what is wrong with these kids, we should spend a little more time asking what kind of community we've built around them.
Be sure to check out the details and contact information in the posted image. I’ll leave you with a few words from the organizers themselves. Stay well.
“Our young men are facing real pressures and real decisions every day—and some of those decisions can change a life in seconds. That is why we are bringing our boys and their parents together for a direct, age-appropriate conversation about the things they are actually dealing with.
We’ll talk about:
• Conflict, pride, fights, walking away, and how small situations can quickly escalate
• Guns, weapons, school safety, reporting threats, and legal consequences
• Va**ng, substances, peer pressure, and how ‘small’ choices can become bigger problems
• Dating, s*x, consent, age, s*xting, digital behavior, and the legal consequences that can follow poor decisions
This is not about judging our boys or frightening them. It is about giving them information before they are standing in a situation where they have only seconds to make a decision.
We want them to understand that walking away can be strength. Asking for help can be strength. Saying no can be strength. Reporting something that could save a life can be strength.
And most importantly, we want every young man to understand:
One moment does not have to determine the rest of your life. Your future, your freedom, your reputation, and your purpose are worth protecting.
Parents, we encourage you to attend with your young men.”
