Violence

It’s been a very difficult weekend for our Country as we deal with another senseless act of violence. It does not matter the season, nor is there any reason for such an act that has affected us all in some way.

As has been pointed out, violence has always been with us. Even the Bible is full of examples, think Kane and Abel. It still does not make it right. It certainly does not keep us from trying to prevent the next attempt at such an unspeakable act.

Yes, there will be those that jump on guns or video games as being the cause. Others will attempt to find blame with the parents or the family. Still others will conjure up reasons or causes that have nothing to do with the one simple word we all ask. Why?

In nearly all the cases of mass violence, either in our Country or abroad, there is seemingly one common trait that is ignored. That is the mental health of the perpetrator. The commentary after the fact is that this person was a “disturbed’ individual. That seems to justify the reason for the violence and we all move on and forget about it until the next time.

Well, this is the next time. We already know that this person was “disturbed” as so many have already stated. Let’s use this time to attempt to understand where our system dropped the ball. Let’s learn from these most recent acts and try to identify the resources needed to help and treat those that are most at risk. No, we will not stop all acts of violence in the future, we will never save all the future victims but think of the lives and families we could save… including that of a potential perpetrator.

We have for too long ignored or decided to turn our backs on issues of mental health. We make excuses like the programs are an invasion of privacy, they cost too much, and they leave a stigma on those identified or treated. Perhaps these are all true but the families of those affected by these events have had their privacy invaded and will pay the costs in ways we could never know for the rest of their lives.

None of this should keep us from grieving for the victims and the families affected. None of this should stop us from hugging our children or our grandchildren just a bit longer. It will not stop us as we attempt to protect them from the world outside as long as we can. This time we need to do more.

Perhaps you will find hope in your faith, or in your spiritual life. I hope we will all find ways to deal with our sadness and sorrow over this particular event in the days ahead. Let’s just not let that be the end of it.

More later