What Is Wrong with People?

Day 146. 

What Is Wrong with People?

My local area was featured on the national news yesterday, maybe you saw it. Sadly, it was not for anything good. Our area is the latest to have another one of these now too frequent small town shooting incidents and this one left four people dead and two injured. It is devastating to see these incidents on tv and even more unbelievable to watch the events unfolding in my own backyard and happening on the roads that I travel daily. Our local schools were on lockdown all day and numerous businesses closed down. Police are still in a standoff with the suspected shooter this morning. Residents displaced by the day's events for safety have been given temporary shelter at a local college while law enforcement officials are trying to bring forth resolution and answers. Unfortunately, I don't think there will be any answers that make sense. I don't think the current "solutions" being implemented make much sense either. I'm not going to offer up my thoughts about gun control...I don't think that's at the heart of issues like this. Instead I'll just say that in my opinion I think people who commit crimes of this nature probably have issues and mental illness that contribute to their actions. Let me be clear...I do not believe that most people with mental illness are likely to commit crimes. I also have no specific knowledge of the individual in this particular case. However, I do think a common denominator for crimes like this that make no rational sense must be some type of (likely untreated) mental illness.  So rather than encourage you to buy an American made product today I would rather suggest a donation to an American organization, NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness http://www.nami.org). This isn't necessarily a "solution" either, but my hope is that if more people get the help they need perhaps we will have less of these devastating situations. My heart goes out to my neighbors in the community who were directly affected and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

A couple of years back I worked with a talented young woman to produce a music video for an original song she wrote to address feelings and attitudes about mental illness. This seems like a day to share it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIf1i5C6meE