Are We In Self-Destruct Mode?

INTRODUCTION:

I did a blog a short while back regarding mass shootings, and once again, in May, they were again on the rise. Not only mass shootings, which are now defined as any shooting where 4 or more people or killed, injured, or a combination of the two, but also domestic violence shootings of entire families followed by the self-inflicted fatal shooting of the shooter. People killing their children. That's unthinkable. Flare-ups in the Middle East, crime is also on the rise again. Many cities that defunded their police departments due to community pressure now realize the mistake they made and are now refunding their departments. Mistakes are common and oftentimes made. However, there is an acceptable margin of error when it comes to mistakes or bad choices., but there is no margin of error when the result of choices jeopardizes public safety and results in a loss of life. Does law enforcement have issues to be resolved? Of course. What organization doesn't? Or, for that matter, what individual doesn't? When additional training is required that costs money, taking money away will not facilitate proper training. That needs to be fixed because many of the current policies are badly broken.

I receive emails asking me to discuss specific issues, some of which I have already written separate blog posts about, so this week I decided I would lump them all into one basket since the cause and effect are basically the same. Regardless of the subject matter. Therefore, as you read this, I ask you to think about this question:

ARE WE IN SELF-DESTRUCT MODE, and Is society a walking time bomb? Like many of you, I have children and grandchildren. Like most, my concern is what will the world be like when my grandchildren get older? What will their future be like? How far do things have to go before something, whatever that something is, is done to get things under control? By now, we have all seen that people are not going to do it on their own. Gang violence is increasing, racial tension, which was much less than it is today in past years. Political parties are constantly at war with one another. Does the word chaos mean anything to you? How about sexual liberties? We also must mention all the controversy you have all heard about on the news from parents protesting some schools that had required reading for younger school children that had within its content, profanity and sexual content. Another question to think about. At what age does a child develop the mental skills to comprehend this reading material properly? Yes, our youth must be taught about racism and promote a non-racist curriculum. However, profanity and sexual content are a different story at younger ages. The bottom line is that PEOPLE CANNOT SEEM TO AGREE ON ANYTHING these days. The days of logic and common sense seem to have gone out with spats. Let's look a little deeper.

THE ISSUES:

As you can see, I lumped everything into one basket, and there is certainly much more. However, I also stated that regardless of the subject matter, the cause and effect are always the same. The CAUSE being; people's or groups' lack of ability to communicate and discuss the issues and the options before acting on them. NON ONE LISTENS. This is selfish and non-production behavior, especially on the part of any school board. In my opinion, no school board has the right to make any choices for the emotional and sensitive subject matter of children without first holding public meetings to discuss these ideas with the parents. Here is a great link that explains the brain development of children by age, courtesy of learningrx.com. The EFFECT is people suffer. It is that simple. When people suffer, society suffers.

LINK

Please read it. I believe you will be quite surprised. Here is a summary by Jean Piaget, who published his groundbreaking theory on cognitive development in children:

1. Sensorimotor Stage: Birth through about 2 years. During this stage, children learn about the world through their senses and the manipulation of objects.

2. Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 through 7. During this stage, children develop memory and imagination. They are also able to understand things symbolically and to understand the ideas of the past and future.

3. Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 through 11. During this stage, children become more aware of external events and feelings other than their own. They become less egocentric and understand that not everyone shares their thoughts, beliefs, or feelings.

4. Formal Operational Stage: Ages 11 and older. During this stage, children can use logic to solve problems, view the world around them, and plan for the future.

Moving on. As I write this, I can see I can write a book about this, so I am trying to summarize things as best. Another point is people themselves. If it doesn't happen within our own four walls, we feel it will not affect us. NOT TRUE.

Whatever affects society as a whole affects us all. Trouble and problems are no longer confined to low-income neighborhoods, otherwise referred to for years as "THE PROJECTS." People who think drugs, alcohol, or violence, do not occur in wealthy neighborhoods and schools get your head out of the sand.

As a retired firefighter and paramedic in pre-hospital medicine for over 30 years, I can tell you firsthand it does, and it's real. When a gang targets a victim, they no longer care about getting the victim alone. They don't care if they are in a crowd, a house, or what mall they are in and where. They also do not care how many innocent people get injured or killed as long as they get the person they want. This can happen anywhere, at any time, and it does. Innocent people get shot and killed. A house pummeled with bullets kills innocent people. Even the intended target being killed is a tragedy, but that is the life they have chosen, and they all know the risks of what being in a gang means and the potential consequences. Defund the police? With the numbers of officers that most cited employ, they cannot be everywhere simultaneously, and it's not realistic to employ so many to cover every square inch of a city.

Our present mentality doesn't work anymore. It doesn't cut it. If you choose not to see it or talk about it, it doesn't go away. In addition, our society has turned into making every issue one of racism: sports teams mascot names, certain colors. Certain symbols, names of food, desserts, and much more. When you are out in public, most of your thinking time is spent thinking about what you will say before saying it to be sure you are NOT offending anyone. People have the right to like, dislike, agree or disagree with everything. It is their right to have their own opinion and express it. However, it must be done properly, intelligently, and respectfully. The most important fact is, people MUST be able to respect the opinions of others because they also have the right to their opinion. Everything boils down to mutual respect, which has been lost for some time. Our country does have a systemic problem. However, racism isn't it. The systemic problem our country faces is far worse than that. Our systemic problem IS THE LACK OF ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE PROPERLY. Communicating is essential for human understanding and interaction. As a country, we are poor, at best, when it comes to communicating effectively. The next essential for human understanding is TRUST. Society does not trust one another, their elected officials, the media, and many other things. Without trust, we lose the confidence required to help us make properly informed choices.

IN CLOSING:

I could go on and on because this is such a wide set of topics to discuss, but I think I've made some important points for you to think about. The real question is, when will society wake up and finally understand all of this?

Why, as a society, do things have to get so bad that someone needs to hit us over the head to wake us up and make changes? I will say there is one strong plus. Since the pandemic, people are becoming more proactive in their communities, especially regarding their children and schooling. However, is that enough? We hear all the voices from all these organized and unorganized groups, but who hears ours? Our Mayors, Governors, and state representatives. That's who hears ours. However, our voices can only be heard if we speak to them by contacting them. It is always easy to sit back and say to yourself, someone else will do it, but if everyone thinks someone else will do it, then no one does it. We are living during complicated and confusing times. Times that no one should ignore. When things become this chaotic, the steps we take as a society will define our future and the future of our children and grandchildren, and generations to come. Not everyone is capable of carrying the ball. Not everyone is outspoken. Everyone is not a Type A personality, meaning the type that stands up and speaks their mind. That is fine. Not everyone has to, but some do.

I find it quite easy to email my state representatives when I have a concern about something. We cannot, nor can anyone, hold our elected officials responsible for fixing the things that need fixing if we do not tell them? It's like the person who doesn't vote and complains about what their politicians do. I know people who never go and vote at a presidential election yet for four years will complain about what the president does, regardless of who the president is. There will always be these types of people globally, and I guess that is their choice, but it doesn't have to be yours. Hopefully, you got the meaning behind this post, and it gave you something to think about.

Can this be fixed? Of course. Anything can be fixed. However, the first step in fixing any problem is identifying what the real problem is. The next step has the commitment and desire to fix it. Sometimes the best course of action is to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog, and if you have a topic you would like to see me talk about, you can email me at crondina@caesarrondinaauthor.com or select the CONTACT tab from the main menu.

Stay safe and be well. Thank you.