Guns and Bunnies

            Guns and Bunnies
                                                                (It’s not what you think)

I’m a gun guy.  I won’t apologize for being a gun guy, and I’m raising my boys to be gun guys.  I’m also raising them to be decent human beings.

  Selling a house when you have two small children is a terrible inconvenience.  It’s nearly impossible to keep the house in show condition, and drastic measures are necessary to secure the cooperation of the resident offspring.

                                     My boys wanted a bunny
  Connor (5) and Owen (3) had been campaigning aggressively for a pet.  In a moment of weakness and frustration with the state of disarray of our house, I proposed a deal.. If they could keep the house clean enough for it to sell, we’d get a pet bunny when we moved to our new house.  The house sold.

                                              Enter Hider
  Hider is a Lop Eared Dutch rabbit.  He has big eyes and floppy ears.  He likes to be petted, and is gentle.  Hider is easy to love, and quickly weaseled his way into our hearts.  The boys do a great job feeding him.  Last week, something changed.  Hider seemed lethargic, and his head was cocked to the extreme left.  He would lose his balance and spin around, not stopping until we grabbed him to steady him.  The Vet called it “Head Tilt”, prescribed an anti-biotic, and said he may or may not get better.  I’m a pretty stoic fellow, but I cried for that stupid rabbit and hated the thought of him not making it. 

                                           Convalescence
  Connor and Owen were perfect little caregivers.  Connor would hold Hiders water bottle so he could get a drink, and made sure he had food every morning before school.  When Hider would spin out of balance, Connor would comfort him gently until he calmed down.  Connor stayed up at night with his little bunny.  Hider is improving, and we are optimistic he will recover.

                                                   Guns
  There have been unspeakable tragedies destroying the lives of families across our nation and sparking an intense debate about our right to bear arms.  Well meaning and sincere people on both sides of the ideological divide cling to partisan rhetoric.  The Far Left would have every gun confiscated, while the Far Right seems to think it appropriate to “open carry” their AR-15 in Wal Mart.  Both the Right, Left, and Middle want the same thing.. safety for their children. 
I propose for a moment we table the gun debate and focus on something else.

                Building Connections, and Fostering Empathy
  We live in a virtual world.  Our interactions with friends and family often consist of photo sharing and emojis.  Arguments become deeply personal when face to face conversation is no longer required as we tend to objectify who we interact with online.  Gaming can offer an entire lifestyle as players are able to build entire worlds and share them with “avatars” of their friends, and shooter games allow violent acts to be planned and committed by anybody feeling the need to “shoot somebody”.  Slowly, some among us, lose touch.  Perhaps those who are predisposed to be socially awkward, or are bullied and harassed allow themselves to continue to withdraw from genuine connection.  Empathy fades as interactions are artificial.  There is no cause to exercise real emotion, or opportunity to invest in relationships.  Too many of the people we, and our children associate with are on this path of isolation.  Can we teach our children to bring back those who isolate themselves?

                                      The Bunny Connection
  I’ve hunted rabbits.  I’ve had fun and memorable times chasing jack rabbits through sage brush blasting away with a .22 pistol, and never felt a bit guilty.
  The thought of putting our bunny down made me sick.  He was my little friend.  He trusted me, I fed him, took care of him, and he would come up and want me to pet him.  I couldn’t kill a friend.  Hider and I had a connection.  Hider and my kids had a connection.  My kids were worried about how Hider felt.  They were sad because he could be in pain.  My children and I experienced empathy.

                 Change the World One Interaction at a Time
   I believe that we all know those who are experiencing isolation, or are the ones feeling isolated.  If we make a conscious effort to be kind to those around us, if we try to show empathy, and instill empathy in our children, we just might defuse an attack before it has a chance to start.

  If you feel you are having a hard time developing empathy, or the ability to connect to others in yourself or your children, bring them to meet my little friend Hider. 
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