Beyond Numbers

Gun violence is frequently reported through statistics. We hear numbers in news reports, see them in public health studies, and debate what they mean. But numbers alone do not begin to convey the life of a person lost – or the grief experienced by a family and community – to gun violence.

Soul Boxes help us view these losses differently. Each box represents more than a statistic. It represents a person with a name and a future lost to gun violence. Viewed individually, each box is relatively small. Taken together, however, they form a powerful reminder of the enormous human and societal cost of firearm injury and death.

As reported in this WZZM interview, a local exhibit of more than 1,400 handmade origami boxes has been assembled to represent the number of lives lost to gun violence in the State of Michigan annually.

Reflecting on Gun Violence in Muskegon

The Soul Box Project began as an effort to transform gun violence data into something tangible. Volunteers folded paper boxes and decorated them with names, photographs, messages, and artwork. In the process, participants had the opportunity, in a quiet and meaningful way, to honor those affected across the state by gun violence.

An exhibit like this can help us begin these conversations, in a safe place, without demanding everyone arrive with the same experience and opinions or leave with the same conclusions.

As a physician, I have learned healing begins with listening. Gun violence is a complex public health problem, and no single approach or policy will solve it. If we want to make progress, we need to begin by listening to survivors, grieving families, affected communities, health professionals, educators, law enforcement officers, firearm owners, researchers, and young people.

Bringing this installation to Muskegon creates an opportunity for our community to pause. It invites people with different backgrounds and perspectives to gather around a shared belief: preventable loss of life deserves our immediate and full attention.

From Awareness to Action

In my own Faith Journey, I have learned reflection is important. On this particular issue, however, action is what is necessary.

We can support secure firearm storage, including the use of locking devices and gun safes. We can ask about access to firearms when someone we care about and love is experiencing a personal crisis, depression, or suicidal thoughts. We can help young people learn to resolve conflicts withing resorting to violence and invest in community programs that give them safe places to learn and grow.

In the process, we can approach this issue with a sense of humility and humanity. Meaningful change is more likely when we replace yelling and political talking points with respectful conversation and fresh ideas and approaches.

Faith in Action

I’d like to personally invite you to take a few minutes, visit the exhibit, reflect, and honor those who have lost their lives to gun violence. And, in the process, take some time to think about what you can do to help prevent losing someone you love to a firearm injury or death.

 

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the parishioners and leadership of the United Methodist Church of the Dunes and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Grand Haven, Michigan for creating this exhibit and to Grand Rapids WZZM for promoting the event.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the Muskegon-area Churches that have welcomed the Soul Box Exhibit and to the clergy, volunteers, and congregants who are making this event possible. Their leadership reminds us that meaningful change often begins with a simple act: Opening our doors – and our hearts – to one another.