Quieter Than a Gunshot

Is it sad that it takes a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut to get me to open up my dusty blog platform and write something? 

I'd explain why I've been gone for so long but it doesn't really matter.  We all have our demons to slay and they can be time consuming and make you feel drained of energy.

That said, I want to write a bit about the Sandy Hook school shootings. 

What the hell is this world coming to?  It's a quote that's been said for generations for whatever reasons are defining said generations.  Is it just me or does it seem like things are just getting worse in many respects instead of better?

People are currently debating, once again, the issue of gun control.  Guns have a role, yes, but they are not the reason this happened.  They are simply the catalyst.

If the government wants to point fingers at who and what is responsible for tragedies like this, I humbly suggest they start with themselves.  That's not to say they are the reason.  But I do feel they are ONE of the reasons.

Mental health services have been cut deeply across the board all over the country.  Insurance is harder and more expensive for middle class folks, let alone poor folks, to obtain.  Lots of people need help and have fewer and fewer places to turn to.

Yet somehow, inexplicably, the government always has money for war, for the TSA goons who violate every one's 4th amendment rights, for the drug cartels they claim to be fighting, for the drones and other surveillance tools they say are for our protection but at the expense of our privacy and liberties, and for the politicians who earn at least six figures annually and get six figure pensions into retirement and the best health insurance taxpayers can buy.

Isn't anyone angry yet?  If not, you should be.   I'm not talking about the anger that plays a role in killing or hurting people.  I'm talking about anger that is passion.  Anger that is the opposite of apathy.  Anger that inspires you to stand up and say "I'm mad and I'm not taking it anymore!"

Unfortunately, for the most part, we seem to live in a world that simply does not care enough.  Too many care more about the latest celebrity gossip or who won American Idol or Dancing with the Stars than they do about what's happening NOT on TV.   We have a media that focuses on so much bad that is going on in the world that we've become numb and cynical.

Mental health, emotional health, psychological health, etc are issues that we all need to pay more attention to.  There are a lot of people out there in pain and feeling ever more increasing amounts of hopelessness and despair.  And for all the enhancements in technology, we are an even more isolated and lonely world. 

Shut off your television.  Turn off your phones, ipads, and computers.  Look someone in the eye and smile.  Get out in nature and let the energy wash over you and through you.  Trust me, it will rejuvenate your soul and re-inspire your spirit.  Re-connect with the people you love.  If you need to talk, ask someone to listen.  If they won't listen, find someone who will.  Don't close up and shut down.  Trust me, I speak from experience on this.  It's hard to open up, it's hard to say "Hey! I need a hug or to talk."  Scream, rant, rave, stomp.  Do whatever you need to do to release your pent up anger and frustration.  To hold it in is to one day realize you are a volcano that is about to rain down hell on everyone around you.  Again, trust me on this.  It's something I struggle with and I was reminded upon hearing about the Sandy Hook tragedy that what we need more of is compassion in this world.  We need people to listen.  We need people to care. 

It often seems that anything quieter than a gunshot is not listened to.  Even then, it doesn't last long.  We need a world where a whisper of pain and a silent tear is louder and more profound than a bullet.  We shouldn't have to shout or shoot to be heard.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." ~ Plato ~

Mahalo,

Dolphin