Let's Applaud Kids Who Take Time to Care!

In June, a post on the Woburn Residents Facebook page showed a gathering of people with the line, “Stop gun violence rally on Woburn Common. Happening now.”. A woman commented, “Woburn, a city with nearly zero murders caused by Woburn residents, holds a gun violence rally. If virtue signaling ever gave birth to a city, it would be Woburn”. Another resident replied, “Spot on!”. These comments stuck with me and reflecting over time, my unease grew.

I’m raising children here. I don’t want our entire world view limited by what happens only inside a made-up border. We are residents of Woburn but also residents of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, New England, the United States….Living in Woburn now doesn’t mean none of us will ever live anywhere else.

There aren’t many problems I can recall, historically or presently, that would be addressed if people only cared about their own experiences. The picture on Facebook was a gathering of people hoping to end gun violence EVERYWHERE. The MOST important aspect was the majority of the attendees were Woburn High School students or recent graduates; a group of people venturing out into the world soon who take the time to stand up and try to make change. Society looks down on teenagers as self-absorbed or wrapped up in social media. These kids belong to clubs, write letters, and show up and an ADULT put them down for it. I’m thrilled to know there is a generation coming up that want a safer future.