"As I look out the window, I see a very beautiful planet that seems very inviting and peaceful. Unfortunately, it is not. These days, we are constantly reminded of the unspeakable acts of violence and damage we can inflict upon one another, not just with our actions, but also with our irresponsible words. We're better than this. We must do better." Scott Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords's brother-in-law, speaking from the space station before the moment of silence on Monday, January 10.
How powerful and profound these words are. For me, they capture the essence of the human paradox. We have been created by God and in the image of God. We have been given every good and perfect gift to make life on this Earth a truly magnificent experience. The Earth and all that is in it, including man, was fashioned by God and declared "good". It should not be surprising, therefore, to hear that this planet is "very beautiful" and appears to be "inviting and peaceful". These descriptions are true to its design.
But then sin invaded paradise.
The temptation to disobey the rules established by someone in authority proved to be too great to resist. Eve. Adam. Able. By humankind's second generation murder was introduced to Planet Earth. And the violence hasn't stopped since. There were 15,241 murders in the United States in 2009 (the most recent year for which I could find figures). That represents one person in every 20,000 who died violently at the hands of another. While that number is down very slightly from 2008 it remains rather consistent with the corresponding figures for the previous decade or so.
And now, it has been brought into our living rooms through what is becoming a disturbingly familiar process. Once again our nation is momentarily paralyzed by an inexplicable act of violence and terrorism. This time, a lone gunman singlehandedly strikes out in the midst of a large crowd gathered in the streets of Tucson, Arizona, for the chance to see and meet an elected official serving in the United States House of Representatives.
The result: Six people are dead. Thirteen more are wounded. Five of the wounded were listed in critical condition, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and five more were in serious condition.
My mind is reeling with thoughts on how to address this tragedy. Part of me wants to take a political approach. This was, after all, a political gathering; a chance for Representative Giffords to meet with and field questions from her constituents. Politics, however, seem woefully meaningless at a time such as this. Politically charged inflammatory remarks have been blamed as one possible factor that has led to this event. Yet if anything it seems like the Tucson shooting did what few other efforts could: bring unity of thought and purpose to liberals and conservatives alike. Just last night President Barak Obama called on the nation to use this event to usher in a new age of civility. He challenged the American public to tone down the rhetoric and, in effect, to treat one another as we would like to be treated. I applaud the President's remarks. They reinforce the comment by Scott Kelly as quoted above: "We're better than this. We must do better."
Another approach could be analyzing the mental condition/health of the man behind the gun. I must readily admit, however, that I am not a psychologist and would be ill-prepared to comment on this subject. Was Jared Loughner insane? Did he suffer from schizophrenia? I cannot say. Yet I must say that I take great offense at those who have suggested that we should take all those who suffer from schizophrenia or other potentially dangerous forms of mental illness and lock them away before they act on their impulses. Persons with mental illness, apparently, are not American citizens and therefore are not protected by the "innocent until proven guilty" concept that the rest of us "normal" people are guaranteed. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and a highly respected expert, is quoted by CBS news as saying,
"We are a country where individual freedom is prized and held as almost sacred." But, he says, "People who have a clearly diagnosed, severe mental disorder that are psychotic in nature - for these individuals there should be a real set of incentives, if not requirements, that they be given treatment, not waiting until they do something to themselves or someone else."
Lieberman cautions that he hasn't evaluated Loughner, but "there is a very high likelihood that he suffers from a psychotic disorder and most likely it is schizophrenia," he says.
This is an easy comment to make while sitting in a plush leather chair behind a polished mahogany desk with no clutter on it. But in the real world there are a ton of challenges. I know of two families in my little corner of the world who are both dealing with a young adult suffering from schizophrenia. Both families are desperately seeking help for their loved one and are trying to get them placed in a setting where they will receive the proper treatment for their respective disorder. Both of these families cannot possibly afford the care needed for their family member through private funds. And insurance companies will not cover the cost of residential care as required in these and many other cases. These families have been searching for years and in the case of one, campaigning vigorously with government officials, health professionals and legislators in their battle for proper services. Yet the best they have accomplished thus far is to be placed on a waiting list.
A waiting list, Dr. Lieberman. That is what we are faced with. And the list is growing longer every day. This country would rather fight wars on foreign soil than tackle the problems of mental illness on the home front. If you do not believe me follow the money. Compare the National Defense Budget to the National Mental Health Budget. $663.8 billion compared to $5.9 billion.
Someone is bound to say that this is not a fair comparison. The cost of fighting two wars and playing police to the world is by its very nature enormous. And it is solely a public responsibility. Unlike the mental health arena there are no insurance companies to shoulder the bulk of the expenses of warfare. To this I respond by saying perhaps it is time to do more preventive measures to stop wars before they begin! If we as a nation are to act with a greater sense of civility why can't we place a similar expectation upon the nations of the world?
All of this leads me to my third observation in the wake of the Tucson tragedy. America's love affair with violence. From the earliest days of colonialism in the 17th Century until today the North American continent has birthed one war after another. Beginning with the various Indian Wars and continuing to today, we have been engaged in something like 330 military conflicts of one kind or another. These do not include covert operations the United States has been involved in. The European Colonists literally stole the land away from the Native Americans through a series of wars and deceptions. They then decided to form their own government and, through another war, established independence from England. The now-antiquated Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteed every citizen the right to bear arms, though it says nothing about automatic weapons, military-grade arsenals, and concealed guns.
The rugged isolationist mentality that enabled the pioneers to survive in the Old, Wild West only served to undergird this belief that its "us" against "them"; survival of the fittest; victory goes to the one with the quickest draw.
Somehow, over the course of two Centuries, this same mentality has been reinforced time and again through literature, radio, television, and the big screen. The current resurgence in the film industry of such super-heroes as Superman, Batman, Spiderman and the Green Hornet all embody the "Lone Ranger mentality" that I (not necessarily "we") must be strong. I must fight to survive. I will even need to take justice into my own hands, if necessary.
I have no idea if Jarod Loughner was influenced in any way by this kind of thinking. In fact, I know nothing what so ever of what made Jarod Loughner tick. But no matter how much we are prone to focus on Mr. Loughner, there remains a theme of violence in this country that demands to be addressed. A neighbor of mine, living just four doors down from me, has a license plate on his truck that reads "Forget 911. I dial .22" I find this disgusting and offensive.
It is the very philosophy that fuels the virus of violence in this nation that is eating away at our moral fiber.
The reaction of the American public to the shockingly offensive events in Tucson on January 8, 2011, is proof that there is hope for our nation. We still have a conscience. We still know right from wrong. Now the real test is in where we go from here. Some want to give the death sentence to the guilty. I even heard one person say he does not deserve a trial. He's guilty - - He should die. Some, like Dr. Lieberman, want to round up all who suffer from schizophrenia and put them safely away so none of them will harm us. All such suggestions are a reaction of fear, not the due process of justice.
Please understand, I too am offended by this event. And yet deep down inside I know.... "We're better than this. We must do better."
Thoughts? Comments? Please do not hesitate to offer
them by using the "Post Your Comment" space below.
-gdg
January 13, 2011
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