Talking to my family and my friends, looking at national polls, and feeling the quiet despair within myself, it seems we, as a country, are not in a good place. Adolescent anxiety is at record highs. The Department of Health and Human Services has called ‘loneliness’ a national epidemic. The number of people who describe members of the other political party as ‘evil’ or similar terms is rising.

As a researcher who studies adolescents, I am profoundly saddened by the weekly reports of shootings at what should be affirming gatherings - homecoming games, school dances, and festivals. The very events that should be bringing us together and building community are becoming sites of sadness and grief. Where I live - northeast OH - they are being canceled to protect student safety. My son called this morning to say that two students in the high school where he teaches were shot walking........

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