Tucson

I want a quick word with my generation.

The suspect in the shooting in Tucson this morning is 22 years old. He could have been our classmate, our friend, our sibling. Throughout the day, many angry people have already started to lay blame in all kinds of places and people. Placing blame is natural, but wherever we're making excuses and scapegoats, we're usually not making progress.

As individuals in a democracy, we live by the word and the vote, not by the gun and the sword. This shooter was one of our own, a member of our generation. If this 22 year old was old enough to disrupt the things we stand for and create such momentous tragedy, certainly all of us are old enough to counteract that by creating and promoting peace in our communities. We have a tendency to think of ourselves as helpless members of a society where decisions and attitudes are being shaped without our participation, and as members of a new generation of American grown-ups, we simply can't afford to think that way anymore. It's our responsibility to recognize that we're not that much different from each other in our needs and dreams, and to speak out in favor of peace and understanding, rather than trying to vilify and eliminate those we don't agree with, especially those serving within our own political system.

Yes, there is a lot of disagreement these days about how our country should be run, but disagreement is the root of progress. We can't be afraid to disagree. We have to battle these things out in the intellectual arena, because that's what builds real understanding. Bloodshed doesn't make people sympathetic. It just makes us hurt.

I'm an artist and an entertainer, not a politician, and it's not my goal to get wrapped up in all these arguments. But as someone who loves the country and the community I grew up in, I think it's important to address events like this that really have the potential to shape our lives. Every event either makes us feel more vulnerable or safer, more jaded or more idealistic, and a lot of that is a result of how we respond to it. There is enough turbulence in the world already. Let America be a place of peace, love, and an honest attempt at understanding. And let that start with us.