For days since the
events in Colorado been unfolding, I have tried to focus on other more pleasant
topics. As hard as I try, cohesive coherent
thoughts have evaded me, as the media continually bombards us with news of the
worst mass shooting in U.S. history, the “Tragedy in Aurora.” By now, everyone is painfully aware of this
tragedy, 12 people killed and another 50 wounded by a gunman at a midnight
screening of the latest Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado. A little more than a week has past, and we
still now very little of real value about what might have occurred that cause
the gunmen to had he did, and I have tried diligently to avoid writing this
essay, but it is, as I am seeing it, equally unavoidable. So I seem destine to complete it, if I ever
want to get back to things that bring me much greater pleasure.
Before I get into
why I feel compelled to write this essay, I want to send my truly heartfelt
sympathies and condolences to the victims… which, of course, includes the
family and friend of those killed or wounded… of this horrendous act. Nothing I could say would ever be enough to
console the grief caused by this event, and nothing I might says here is
intended to cause any additional grief to those affected.
When I awoke on
Friday morning, my Facebook, as well as other frequented social media and news
feeds, was already blowing up with comments, and tidbits of info about this
horrific tragedy. Since then, you cannot
go an hour without something somewhere bringing us back to it, again, and
again, and again…
What strikes me, and
has worried me, is the output from our instantaneous news cycle today. Within moments of this event, the internet
was abuzz with all manner of analysis, conjecture, and comment about this
mental, physical, and emotional state of the perpetrator, with no real data to
backup the claims. Within moments of my
starting to read through the posts and articles hitting the web, I “learned”
that
this assailant was; a mad, crazy, mentally unbalanced schizophrenic
paranoid who had a bad childhood, or experienced some massively devastating
even in his life, which caused him to lack the coping mechanisms or filters
needed to live in today’s society.
Okay, yeah that’s a
hyperbolic compilation of dozens of posts in one statement, but, it is an
accurate representation of what many people thought they knew shortly after
this event. The sad part has been
watching many in the mainstream media pandering to this picture. Fact is, several days after the event, and we
still know very little about this person, and yes, I am avoiding naming him. What we do know at this point, is that, the
guns and ammo used in the crime were legally obtained, as were the chemical
used to booby trap his apartment, he was not a stupid individual – he was in a
PhD program from which he’d recently withdrew, that he had no criminal record,
and there was no overt evidence to indicate a reason for his actions. What we do not know is what triggered this
event, even as we (most of us because of our impatience) continue to draw
conclusions from an incomplete picture. The
only thing we can conclude with certainty, at this time, is that this
individual was not mentally sound at the time.
In coming weeks, we can hope that we learn why, and can learn a little
bit more about how to identify the problem earlier.
We all remember the
idiom “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Well, it’s
not really true – you can just look to the night sky to see that – but, I do
think it can be reformed to say, “The human mind abhors a lack of data.” Meaning, in absence of accurate information,
we will naturally create information to support the conclusions we have already
formed. But, why does this need to have
immediate answers exist, and in particular after events as horrendous as this
tragedy? My opinion is that, while each
of us will staunchly maintain that we could not be drive to such atrocities for
any reason, none of us knows what event in our own lives might trigger a mental
imbalance which could lead to such devastating behavior. In my experience and observation, I have seen
that anyone can be driven to a breaking point, and most do not know where that
line exists. I’ve also seen that many,
if not most, people have demons lying dominant in our subconscious’s just
looking for a reason to unleash their wrath.
I have personally experienced this release of demons upon experiencing
events which created great anger in me. I
have been fortunate that my actions, at such times, did not result in actions
even close to degree in Aurora, but, I recognize the possibility. For all the understanding we have developed
about human psychology, no one to my knowledge has yet been able to catalog all
that can cause or contribute to mental illness, nor has anyone been able
effectively predict mental illness. I
personally equate mental illness to earthquakes, we all have faults in our
psyche, and like fault lines in the earth’s crust, no one can predict how much
stress these faults can take, or how devastating the damage will be when in
breaks. So, how does this relate to our
need to have a definite and rapid conclusion after events like what happened in
Aurora? I think each and every one of us
is scared that it could have been one of us who broke with such damaging effect,
and for most the fear exists so deep within the subconscious that it manifests
itself in the need to know why someone else cracked, so we can comfort
ourselves that those faults don’t exist in us.
And… So much the better if we can point to external sources outside our
control as the problem. For then, we can
ask society as a whole to take ownership in controlling those external sources. All I ask; the next time you find yourself
really angry, stop for a moment and think about why and look internally for the
source of your anger. It may just help
you to relieve that stress in a less destructive manner.
Next I’d like to
touch on something regarding the victims of this tragedy. First, I am, in no way, blaming the victims
of this mentally ill person, or claiming that they should bear any responsible
for the results. But, particularly over
the last decade or so, I’ve observed something that troubles me greatly. It is what I call a societal numbness, or lack
of situational awareness. I see dozens
of examples of this on a daily basis… in the drivers on the freeway, who can’t
seem to stay in their own lane, or changing lanes without notices there is a
car in the lane next to them… or in the malls and stores, where people can’t be
bothered to look where they are walking, instead doing their window shopping on
the move… and of course, in this day of
twitter, facebook, and texting, almost everyone move about oblivious to their
surrounding while their eyes are focused on that little screen in front of
them. Our military teaches young
recruits and officer about situational awareness on the field of combat, but
that concept is one that should be taught to everyone. It is something I have adopted as part of my
everyday life, and something I have thought my children (no longer
children). Being aware of where I am at
(environment) and what is happening around me has afforded to opportunity to
avoid many problems or potential disastrous situations.
I have to wonder how
many in that theater saw, without seeing, someone go to the exit door only to
re-emerge moments later. Even though it’s
not uncommon for people to attend movies like this one in a costume, combing
the costume with an exit and return, I think, should have raised a red flag. I
know it would have for me. A smoke canister
going off??? Definitely a red flag!!!
Yet, I heard several accounts of people thinking it was just part of the
show. Again personally, I’ve never been
to an event – movie in this case – where there where extra-sensory additions to
the show that were not at least acknowledged beforehand. Even though history is littered with examples
to the contrary, we seem to possess this misguided idea that we are protected and
safe (or should be) from illegal or dangerous activities, or that we can live
our normal everyday lives without much concerned for our own safety. It is a foolish supposition, and most would
probably deny believing it. But, look at
how so many people go about the everyday business acting as if it was so. The simple truth is that the best way to
avoid becoming a victim, is to quit acting like a victim, and the simplest way
to stop acting like a victim is to pay attention to your surroundings… if you’ve got a bad feeling about something,
there’s usually a pretty good reason.
Finally, even as
tragic as this event was, particularly in the scope of individuals lost or
wounded, let’s not forget all the people lost or injured in senseless violence
throughout the country or even the world, on a daily basis which never draw the
attention of the national media. But… We should not forget as well, that there is
little that could have been done to honestly prevent this from happening. Yes, maybe more and tighter gun control might
have forestalled this event, but, not prevent it. There is no way we can legislate a perfectly
safe society, and it is my contention that it is a waste of time to try. Once this individual decided he was going to
wreak this kind of destruction, there are any of a multitude of methods which
could have been employed to achieve a very similar result. People killing, for whatever reason, has been
with us since the beginning of the human race, and will, in all likelihood, be
with us until are end. There is really
little that can be done to prevent such act, without making criminals of all of
us, or taking away those tools with which to protect ourselves or our
families. Or, for that matter, taking
away or criminalizing everyday tools which could be use for destructive
purposes in the hand of someone with a little bit of knowledge. I try to live in the real world, and that
tells me we have the laws we have and we have to learn how to live with them.
I’ll close with this…
the first step to safety is awareness…
so, start by being aware.
Your comments or questions
are always welcome, and I have added an email address for those not wishing to comment
openly in this forum. Emails can be sent
to recoveringcathcon@gmail.com. However, please know that if this account is used to flood me with
trash and hate mail, I will shut it down.
