We don't have a gun problem in this country. We have a huge (mind) mental health problem in this country.
It appears we have a total lack of understanding when it comes to recognizing the symptoms, signs and circumstances that would compel someone to go out and commit these horrible acts.
December 14, 2012: Twenty year old Adam Lanza went on a killing spree today after first shooting his mother at her home, then continuing to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and opening fire on teachers, killing the principal and twenty young children.
I am not making excuses for what Adam Lanza did.
I am only pointing out some things that I hope will be considered so this type of atrocity never happens again.
We are left stunned and horrified as to the savagery he authored.
I believe this latest act, by this one individual, has permanently left a deep and indelible mark on the American psyche.
We already have the politicians weighing in, the Second Amendment enthusiasts, this group and that group, the fact that the Obama administration dropped funding for school safety in 2011, opinions all over the place but in the end, will we ever really discover the truth as to why a twenty year old young man clothed himself in camouflage, donned a bullet proof vest, slipped a ski mask over his head and took with him several automatic weapons and all for the express purpose of blowing his mother, several teachers, the school principal and twenty young children away?
This unbelievable carnage had to have had its roots somewhere.
We are finding out that Adam was a loner. Did he display any symptoms that would have led one to seek medical help for him? Was he withdrawn, hostile, confused, angry? Did he have any friends? Were video games and the internet his only friend? Was he shown any warmth and love and knew that his existence really mattered to someone? Was he accepted for who he really was?
There are so many questions....
Just, exactly, who was Adam Lanza?
He stood out from the crowd in how he dressed and interacted with friends. It's also thought that he had a very high IQ. Yet, apparently, from initial reports, there was never any sign that he would, one day, commit one of the most atrocious acts this country has ever witnessed.
When you see someone who looks differently from you, what is your reaction? Do you go over to that person and act friendly, trying to make contact with and communicate, or do you prefer instead, to shy away, stay away?
Do you point fingers, make fun of and bully them because they just don't fit in with your own personal expectation of what it is to belong, to fit in, to be normal?
Are the public schools actively identifying these individuals, those who just don't seem to fit in with the rest of the kids, (you know, that little box) assessing their personalities, their skills, their strengths and weaknesses, aligning them with others of who exhibit these same qualities, employing teachers who have been taught to effectively deal with and cope with these kids because, somehow, they were born with brains wired a little differently from the rest of us?
Or are they openly being isolated, ostracized, made fun of, poked and probed, prodded into some dark classroom corner where they can be caged, more easily managed by an uncaring faculty and a clueless agenda, all the while unable to escape accusatory looks, muffled rhetoric of those educators who have no patience nor do they really care about devoting the time necessary to finding the clues of how these kids really tick, denying them their opportunity to achieve to the highest standards they were meant to achieve, silently standing on the sidelines watching wordlessly as these kids withdraw completely into themselves?
I have had some experience along these lines and sadly I have to say the answer to this is yes.
The criminal investigations have started into the family; friends, relatives and relationships. These will be ongoing, for years. And the physical and emotional effects will never go away.
This event has permanently traumatized all of us.
But, we have choices.
We can continue to ignore the underlying problem(s) of why these things are happening and in doing so, only encourage more of them to take place.
Why is it that when the President of the United States was notified of this event did he not immediately appeal to our spiritual leaders for help?
Asking them to all come together, to pray for us as a people, as a nation?
Because he, like many others, are unwilling and/or oblivious in owning up to the underlying problem(s) either because of politics or just plain ignorance, thus making an overt decision refusing to address them.
No one is taking responsibility.
There is a moral breakdown occurring in this country and all of us, collectively, are at fault.
We are quick to blame the government, politicians, the NRA, the Second Amendment and guns.
We have journalists and a news media who play up tragedies instead of focusing on finding out the reasons why.
But do we bother to blame ourselves? Our hectic lifestyles?
And, we have not come to grips with the fact that no amount of money thrown at a problem will ultimately solve it. Just look at the economic mess we are in.
I remember a time when I was growing up that we all sat down at the dinner table and ate dinner together while discussing the day's events.
We went over homework and answered questions; hugged each other and said "I love you." Listened attentively to problems, kissed boo boos and read bedtime stories.
We prayed together, stayed together as one unit, a whole, a family.
Nowadays we're all watching sky-rocketing crime rates and drug addiction, kids walking the streets with no supervision, no one taking an interest in what they are doing, where they are or who they are running with, discipline being a "no no" because those who know what's best for us and our kids have deemed it too harsh, the latest starlet who just got arrested for the umpteenth time, camping outside retail stores to ensure we're first in line to get our hands on the latest internet gadget and shopping till we drop.
No wonder we don't have time for the really important things in our lives--we've forgotten and we're not being taught these virtues anymore.
In the meantime, the country and one of its sacred institutions, the family unit, is falling apart.
Our society is on overdrive and just like the engine of a vehicle, if you do not take the time to change its oil and give it a wash every once in a while, it will ultimately stop working.
Is that where we are now? Is that what we, as a nation, have become?
These are horrific wake up calls folks and I believe I know where they are originating from.
Just like Hashem when he was bringing the Hebrew Nation out of Egyptian bondage and they were paying him no heed, as they selfishly pursued their headlong lust and thirst for what they decided was most important in their lives.
He ultimately got their attention by shocking their sensibilities.
We are in bondage now, in so many ways. Just look around and within yourself.
G-d has just so much patience with a people who continue to ignore and flaunt His laws, murder innocent babes inside and outside the womb, lust after idols and publicly and privately pervert themselves on the altar of debauchery.
Do you not see what is happening here?
He who has eyes...see; he who has ears...hear.
It appears we have a total lack of understanding when it comes to recognizing the symptoms, signs and circumstances that would compel someone to go out and commit these horrible acts.
December 14, 2012: Twenty year old Adam Lanza went on a killing spree today after first shooting his mother at her home, then continuing to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and opening fire on teachers, killing the principal and twenty young children.
I am not making excuses for what Adam Lanza did.
I am only pointing out some things that I hope will be considered so this type of atrocity never happens again.
We are left stunned and horrified as to the savagery he authored.
I believe this latest act, by this one individual, has permanently left a deep and indelible mark on the American psyche.
We already have the politicians weighing in, the Second Amendment enthusiasts, this group and that group, the fact that the Obama administration dropped funding for school safety in 2011, opinions all over the place but in the end, will we ever really discover the truth as to why a twenty year old young man clothed himself in camouflage, donned a bullet proof vest, slipped a ski mask over his head and took with him several automatic weapons and all for the express purpose of blowing his mother, several teachers, the school principal and twenty young children away?
This unbelievable carnage had to have had its roots somewhere.
We are finding out that Adam was a loner. Did he display any symptoms that would have led one to seek medical help for him? Was he withdrawn, hostile, confused, angry? Did he have any friends? Were video games and the internet his only friend? Was he shown any warmth and love and knew that his existence really mattered to someone? Was he accepted for who he really was?
There are so many questions....
Just, exactly, who was Adam Lanza?
He stood out from the crowd in how he dressed and interacted with friends. It's also thought that he had a very high IQ. Yet, apparently, from initial reports, there was never any sign that he would, one day, commit one of the most atrocious acts this country has ever witnessed.
When you see someone who looks differently from you, what is your reaction? Do you go over to that person and act friendly, trying to make contact with and communicate, or do you prefer instead, to shy away, stay away?
Do you point fingers, make fun of and bully them because they just don't fit in with your own personal expectation of what it is to belong, to fit in, to be normal?
Are the public schools actively identifying these individuals, those who just don't seem to fit in with the rest of the kids, (you know, that little box) assessing their personalities, their skills, their strengths and weaknesses, aligning them with others of who exhibit these same qualities, employing teachers who have been taught to effectively deal with and cope with these kids because, somehow, they were born with brains wired a little differently from the rest of us?
Or are they openly being isolated, ostracized, made fun of, poked and probed, prodded into some dark classroom corner where they can be caged, more easily managed by an uncaring faculty and a clueless agenda, all the while unable to escape accusatory looks, muffled rhetoric of those educators who have no patience nor do they really care about devoting the time necessary to finding the clues of how these kids really tick, denying them their opportunity to achieve to the highest standards they were meant to achieve, silently standing on the sidelines watching wordlessly as these kids withdraw completely into themselves?
I have had some experience along these lines and sadly I have to say the answer to this is yes.
The criminal investigations have started into the family; friends, relatives and relationships. These will be ongoing, for years. And the physical and emotional effects will never go away.
This event has permanently traumatized all of us.
But, we have choices.
We can continue to ignore the underlying problem(s) of why these things are happening and in doing so, only encourage more of them to take place.
Why is it that when the President of the United States was notified of this event did he not immediately appeal to our spiritual leaders for help?
Asking them to all come together, to pray for us as a people, as a nation?
Because he, like many others, are unwilling and/or oblivious in owning up to the underlying problem(s) either because of politics or just plain ignorance, thus making an overt decision refusing to address them.
No one is taking responsibility.
There is a moral breakdown occurring in this country and all of us, collectively, are at fault.
We are quick to blame the government, politicians, the NRA, the Second Amendment and guns.
We have journalists and a news media who play up tragedies instead of focusing on finding out the reasons why.
But do we bother to blame ourselves? Our hectic lifestyles?
And, we have not come to grips with the fact that no amount of money thrown at a problem will ultimately solve it. Just look at the economic mess we are in.
I remember a time when I was growing up that we all sat down at the dinner table and ate dinner together while discussing the day's events.
We went over homework and answered questions; hugged each other and said "I love you." Listened attentively to problems, kissed boo boos and read bedtime stories.
We prayed together, stayed together as one unit, a whole, a family.
Nowadays we're all watching sky-rocketing crime rates and drug addiction, kids walking the streets with no supervision, no one taking an interest in what they are doing, where they are or who they are running with, discipline being a "no no" because those who know what's best for us and our kids have deemed it too harsh, the latest starlet who just got arrested for the umpteenth time, camping outside retail stores to ensure we're first in line to get our hands on the latest internet gadget and shopping till we drop.
No wonder we don't have time for the really important things in our lives--we've forgotten and we're not being taught these virtues anymore.
In the meantime, the country and one of its sacred institutions, the family unit, is falling apart.
Our society is on overdrive and just like the engine of a vehicle, if you do not take the time to change its oil and give it a wash every once in a while, it will ultimately stop working.
Is that where we are now? Is that what we, as a nation, have become?
These are horrific wake up calls folks and I believe I know where they are originating from.
Just like Hashem when he was bringing the Hebrew Nation out of Egyptian bondage and they were paying him no heed, as they selfishly pursued their headlong lust and thirst for what they decided was most important in their lives.
He ultimately got their attention by shocking their sensibilities.
We are in bondage now, in so many ways. Just look around and within yourself.
G-d has just so much patience with a people who continue to ignore and flaunt His laws, murder innocent babes inside and outside the womb, lust after idols and publicly and privately pervert themselves on the altar of debauchery.
Do you not see what is happening here?
He who has eyes...see; he who has ears...hear.
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