I am deeply troubled to see that another person has committed homicide and suicide. The family's photos in the newspaper are like those of any normal and happy looking family. A suicide note to a reporter indicates that a man and his wife living in Southern California agreed to kill themselves and their five innocent children. He claims they were left with no hope after being terminated from their medical technician positions at Kaiser Permante. The father further claimed that an administrative employee at Kaiser had told him a few days ago that he might as well go home and blow his brains out. This comment was supposedly related to an allegation that they were being fired for falsifying records related to child care subsidies.
Can we just pass this terrible tragedy off as the results to be expected from obviously mentally ill people? I don't think so. Most homicides are not committed by persons suffering with serious mental disorders anyway. Some crimes are so horrible we just want to believe the person was disturbed. Was it caused by untreated depression? We certainly have to assume depression had a role in it, but was depression the only cause or even mostly responsible for a young father and mother's agreement to kill their children and themselves? I think we have to dig a little deeper to identify what led to this awful outcome?
How do people lose so much faith in God and hope in living that killing their own kids becomes an option? How does a mind become so confused that it convinces anyone that killing their loved ones is better than leaving them behind? Are these decisions just another result of our failing economy? Are we a society that gives the impression if you don't have a job or a lot of possessions, you are unworthy?
During the depression in the late 1930's, my father worked for the WPA. The WPA were jobs created for poor people who needed work and at the same were jobs that improved the country's infrastructure. Thank God my dad's sense of self worth, his belief that all human life was valuable prevented him from taking his life, my mother's life and the lives of his children during those desperate times. He knew his personal worth was not measured by his level of income. His feeling of self worth came directly from a strong faith in God and values taught at home and in the classrooms.
Somehow we have to find out why my father and thousands of others like him who financially struggled in the mid 1900's and had so much less in possessions than people suffering today could persevere. Have we created a generation or two now that truly believes one's value is solely determined by their income? If so, how has that happened? Are we losing faith in God and His promise of protection? Somewhere in the Holy Bible He reminds us that he even takes care of the birds so why would we doubt that He would protect us...His children.
As a country, we are committed to an educational system that promotes a standard of leaving no child behind. However, offering a child the best education should never take priority over promoting human value systems. Yet, lawsuits over what is taught in the classrooms abound. Most are for the purpose of making sure nothing is said by teachers nor placed in the textbooks that would in any way promote values, especially those that may be taught in the churches. In fact, public school systems are prohibited from acknowledging God. I believe the separation of church and state wording in the U S Constitution was intended to protect churches and worship rights from government interference. I don't think our forefathers ever thought that it could be used in just the opposite manner by ambitious lawyers and non-believers to prohibit prayer in classrooms and forbid teachings of basic human values so carefully outlined in the Holy Bible. In fact, at the time the constitution was developed, there was prayer in the classrooms and noone was objecting to it. Even during the 1950's when I was in elementary school, a prayer was said each morning in public classrooms across America. Our school day began with singing songs like "God Bless America."
We are living in economic times in the USA today that require us to have a deep faith and belief that things will get better. When we can't trust ourselves, we must rely on God. Our personal survival depends upon it. The highest level education and brightest men and women can't promise things will get better and have the people believe it anymore. Man is losing faith in man. However, those people who never put their faith in man in the first place and instead have spent years trusting God.....they will survive. Those who have been fortunate enough to learn either from their parents, attending churches or private religious based schools will lead us forward. Wouldn't it be nice if all children were exposed to faith based values just in case their parents didn't teach them? Teachers are in the position to make that happen, but teachers have to fear that someone will sue them dare they mention religion. Too many teachers want to teach children it is wrong to believe in creation. I'm afraid we are throwing the baby out with the bath water now that God's values can't even be discussed in a classroom while doctrines that are not faith based are zealously promoted. Our public schools should not support a particular religious group, but teaching common values found within all types of religions could go along way in creating and maintaining a society of non-violent citizens. We tend to try to explain God's actions and ways with our limited capacities. Yet, God is all powerful. I believe that He could be a part of both creation and revolution. Won't that just be a big surprise for all when the end comes?
Teaching integrity and a faith based way of living to our children should be a priority. These common principles shared by all religions and the unity and sense of purpose coming from shared belief systems will bring communities together to influence our youth away from theories now being promoted in the public schools which disavow God, and leave us without hope in our darkest hours.
4 comments:
You compare the family in modern LA to your grandfather 's experience in the 1930's. In that time our environment has become much more complex, especially if one considers the difference in rural vs urban. This complex environment creates more options for failure and thus more ways for despair to add up.
Tom
Hi Tom, I don't necessarily agree that our environment's complexity influences feelings of disparity more than the 1930's could cause one to feel hopeless. I do recognize the instant communication available today in all aspects of our lives adds to stress. However, our society today offers much more in the ways of opportunities. People of all ages can go to college through available grants and loans whether changing careers or going through for the first time. In the 1930's people couldn't go to college if they didn't have the money to support it. Only the very advantaged went beyond 8th grade. My dad had to drop out of school following 6th grade to help his family make a living. Most families did not have cars. They were sort of forced to "bloom where they were planted." Most people didn't know what it meant to take a vacation. Noone paid them to work if they didn't work even if they were sick. They didn't have access to multi choices of entertainment. In fact, they entertained themselves if entertainment was even a part of their daily lives. Perhaps they were so busy trying to survive they didn't have too much time available to think about themselves and ponder matters that too often influence our egos. I am seeking to find regardless of the level of stress, why can some people handle feelings of disparity and others give up? I am interested in your answer.
Joyce,
There is no one perfect model for all of the people, so I have no easy answer. From what I have read, people depend upon a variety of support systems. These systems include spouse, larger family, school, work, church, hobbies, etc. People who loose all or most of their support systems at the same time are the ones who often kill themselves or others.
Maybe its the media spot light that high lights the few who have gone over the edge.
Tom
Well...that makes sense. Losing several support systems at the same time (employer, mortgage holder, ???) Is it possible the family in LA who were planning on moving to a place in the south, for some reason, feel they were would be imposing on their extended family....or?
Post a Comment