Two public shooting incidents leave several people dead in Colorado this weekend right on the tail of eight people shot dead in a senseless massacre at an Omaha shopping mall. A twenty-year old male shooter is dead in Colorado. The nineteen-year-old gunman in Omaha shoots himself after the killing spree. What is at the root of these tragic events? Are they becoming more common? And if so, why?
A health and wellness author and speaker, I travel the country and meet thousands of people in public events every month and can say without hesitation: Americans feel increasingly stressed and helpless. Among the most common problem people give voice to in these events are feelings of overwhelming anxiety and depression. Young guys are particularly vulnerable when feelings of helplessness trigger hormonal spikes of testosterone and adrenaline at the same time. Our fight or flight instinct is notoriously irrational. Fearful, angry states of mind can seriously impede rational thought. The standard American diet emphasizes white flour and sugar over nutrient-dense fresh fruits and vegetables; this recipe all but guarantees unbalanced minds. When drugs, alcohol, nutritional deficiencies or sleep deprivation complicate the picture, bizarre anti-social behavior can and does occur.
We live in a world that is far from tranquil and our young are among those most affected and most vulnerable. As little as 25 years ago, American lifestyles were far less stressful and included regular opportunities to unplug and refresh that we have all but lost today. We could still take an hour and clear our heads by walking through a quiet area in nature. Today, our world has become overcrowded and we are rapidly running out of room to breathe. Studies with animals show that overcrowding leads to anti-social behavior. We have all but paved over the last remnants of nature. In some areas, to take a walk means exposing yourself to the risk of drive-by shootings, asphyxiation by toxic fumes, and deafening traffic noise. These conditions disallow the quieted state that lets us de-stress. The average American spends his or her free time these days on a commute where road-rage is common or in front of a computer screen; gone are the days of walking the dog or chatting across the fence with a neighbor. Family meals are a rarity rather than a regular interval where we can relax and connect. We're not only disconnected from family and friends, but also from nature. And many of us have also our spiritual mooring and are adrift.
Another major factor that is impossible to measure in post-911 America is the deeply shaken core belief and experience that life is inherently safe. We have an administration that plays to our fears by flashing the orange and red alert over and over, keeping people anxious and on edge. In addition to the inherent stress of modern life, many of our young have been exposed to a never-ending stream of violent input from television, movies and video games from a very young age. Violent acts witnessed over and over become a default program and profoundly affect our view of "what humans do" by normalizing the horrendous in pliable young minds.
What is the solution? What can one person do? In my work across the country, I assist individuals to re-instill tranquility in everyday life. We can learn to unplug from the rat race and re-connect with our humanity by weaving a strand of peace into our day-to-day lives. Quiet the mind for just five or ten minutes a day. Take whatever measures are needed to get in touch with the still small voice that is always there to calm you. Put a part of your mind on assignment to drop anchor into that place of peace so you can return to it at any time. The ripple out effect of meditative practices has been shown to reduce violence in scientific studies. It's a small step, but one we all can take.
View a related clip at YouTube
Follow Deborah King on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Deborah_King
As you kindly point out, your travels as a health and wellness lecturer have given you a unique look into the hearts and minds of the American people. You've shrewdly observed that the average upper middle class white people who come to your lectures in search of answers to life's overwhelming upper middle class white people problems are, in fact, stressed. Maybe you're right in your hypothesis that the crazy fuck shooter was simply a hormone-ravaged and over-stressed crazy fuck shooter. And can we blame him? After all, how can one be expected to face adolescence with any sort of non-murderous calm in the face of such urban spread? Until you reminded me, I'd forgotten that in the past I could simply take a walk through nature to unwind myself after a long, near-homicidal day of living. But since all forest land was destroyed via executive order and the techno-fascist megalopolis assimilated my local parks, there's nowhere for me to go--much less a young man trapped in the concrete jungle of Colorado.
And I'd almost forgotten about 9/11. You're right--no one feels safe anymore. We all awaken to the paranoid glow of our color-coded terror alarms. We're too busy being patted down by security to feel secure. If only we could enjoy the golden age of safety our parents enjoyed--ducking and covering under their flimsy wooden desks. All they had to worry about was the threat of global thermonuclear annihilation, while we run the risk each day of encountering a swarthy guy with a box cutter.
Thank God you're here to tell us how to stop these hormonally unbalanced, emotionally overloaded crazy fucks from shooting up our churches and schools ever again. I can't wait to take your advice and "unplug from the rat race", "re-connect with my humanity", and "weave a strand of peace" into my day-to-day life. Let's just hope all those crazy fucks out there do the same, or look out!
Best wishes,
Laurence Shandy, gentleman
The prevelance of guns, violent tv, movies and games, lack of fathers raising children, taking church out of the schools, no personal responsibility, no behavior standards in public, etc. You can go on and on. Everyone no doubt has an opinion that fits their particular world view or politics.
I personaly think some people are just crazy and there's nothing that can be done about it. It is interesting that this shooter, like most, went where his victims were guarenteed to be unarmed and helpless.
More broadly a few (mercifully tiny) are so offended that they have not realized the American Dream that they make others pay for it with their lives.