If you have
been paying attention to the news, you are familiar with the name of Antoinette
Tuff. Ms. Tuff is a school employee who
saved lives after a mentally ill gunman came into her school in Decatur, Georgia. Ms. Tuff has been getting a lot of attention
lately. Even President Obama contacted
her to congratulate her on her act of heroism.
I would like to acknowledge Ms. Tuff because she is the personification
of a significant truth…love is power. If
you are not familiar with the story, Ms. Tuff stopped a mentally ill gunman
from shooting up a school using her own
story about tough times in life and her ability to empathize. She was compassionate. Love really is powerful. If you are not clear about the details of
this story, read this article: http://huff.to/1760s1A
For the
purpose of this discussion, we are going to stick with the basic truth of the
story. Ms. Tuff didn’t approach the
gunman with her own gun. She didn’t
bring any firepower to this confrontation.
She brought her personality. And
this personality is obviously one that is open and loving. She was almost motherly to the gunman. She expressed her concern for his condition, including
the fact that he wasn’t currently on his medication. This, of course, seemed to be the core of his
problem. Ms. Tuff facilitated his
conversations with law enforcement and ultimately that led to his peaceful
surrender. Ms. Tuff was smart. She was calm and cool. And the result wasn’t violent. Now, it is
obvious that this might not work in every school shooting situation. This was a right person at the right time
kind of thing. But it does say something
overall about what works in coping with many of the mentally ill. In my professional life, as I have discussed
previously, I also learned this lesson.
When I worked in the inpatient psychiatric hospital, I was known for
being able to talk people down. How did
I do it? By listening respectfully. By using a calm voice. By paying attention to
my body language and making sure that I don’t appear threatening. By reaching out and being concerned. By showing my compassion. Can I always do that? Sadly, no.
Everyone gets ‘hooked’ sometimes.
When you respond with anger, many times it is because your emotion has
overwhelmed your ability to respond with calm and love.
But because
love is such a powerful way to respond, it is frequently the right answer. Love and compassion were at the core of what
Martin Luther King taught. Love
motivated those that rescued people during the Holocaust. Love is what was taught by Jesus. And believe it or not, love is basic to all
of the world’s religions. Many times
religious people are not so loving. Those
that truly don’t understand religion consider themselves true believers. But without love and acceptance, there is no
connection to God, in my opinion. Ms.Tuff
cited her spiritual beliefs in discussing what gave her the strength to ignore
her fear and do what she did. If that is
the case, I see her spiritual beliefs as a gift. She was extraordinary. I am totally in awe of what she
accomplished. Love REALLY is powerful. What do you think?
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