The Olivia Fox Fix: No hope for the hopeless

The Olivia Fox Fix: No hope for the hopeless: Setting yourself on fire outside in the middle of rush hour in a thriving city.  a neighborhood "watchman" murders a child a few b...

No hope for the hopeless

Setting yourself on fire outside in the middle of rush hour in a thriving city.  a neighborhood "watchman" murders a child a few blocks from his home, going on a high speed chase with your 1 year child who sitting in the backseat, and being shot and killed as a result. A multi family mass murder/suicide,  and the continuous acts of mass shootings in public places.  They all sound like scenes in a motion picture, but tragically all these events have  happened and will continue to happen everyday in real life.

These various tragedies have left me feeling so disturbed, troubled, beyond sad, anxious, and worried.  I wonder during and after each tragedy what has gone SO WRONG  that leaves people to the point of hopelessness?
I mean really, just when you think you have heard the most gruesome, horrendous, senseless act of violence, along comes yet another horror show. How does it come to this?

What has happened within people, in their souls and spirit, that they choose to believe the ONLY clear resolution  is to kill oneself and in many instances others? When I think of hopelessness I tend to think of a multi generational epidemic where many have learned our morals, values, adult behavior and logic from the environment we grew up in and/or those around us. For some, if you were raised in a hopeless environment, where everyone around has lost the ability to see beyond their present situation, living day to day, with no idea nor expectation of things turning around,sometimes this can cause you  to view things hopeless as well.

I can  not remember hearing of such non stop madness.  I have to consider the times we are living in, where it may seem like more things are happening simply because when anything happens ANYWHERE before you can formulate an emotion to deal with it, it is everywhere, IN YOUR FACE, instantly, and GRAPHICALLY, thanks to technology. 
Why are so many people angry, sad, depressed, defeated, and literally walking shells of a living, thriving, human beings?

Is it the stress we are faced with, trying to do the simplest things? For instance, taking your kids to an amusement park.  The drive there, stressful, the parking, stressful, the lines, stressful, the over pricing of everything, while the income in most households has dropped significantly. Stress has caused some  people to lack the ability to cope constructively. The ability to cope has escaped many of us.  It is easier for some to explode, become angry, livid even, and end up in a confrontation.  We recently saw a pack of motorcyclist chase a car down and pull the driver from the car and beat him nearly to death in front of his wife and CHILD IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.  Again, televised all over the world...

Many people have lost it all, with only their minds in tact. And if ONE MORE ANYTHING happens that's IT! another front page story, another youtube multi million hit video.VIRAL VIOLENCE! What can we do to get back to logic, clarity in common situations and scenarios?  Self medicate?  After the stimulants wear off, IF they ever wear off, the problem, the situation, the stress triggers are still there.

I saw it in myself, and I literally had to step back and take control of my own well being and state of mind, and learn how to better deal and cope, pray even.  I think a great many of us are right on the edge, and if we don't collectively make an effort within our circles to have a dialogue on this subject, along with the state of mental illness and mental health, we are doomed to become a society that will be consumed with violence. Sadly one day we each may experience acts violence within our own homes, neighborhoods, within our families, our jobs, our children's schools, or TO US.

I hope someone will read this and think "you know, I agree, we have to do something." Look,  I get it, many don't believe one person can make a difference and perhaps save a life.  It would definitely be unrealistic to think you can save the entire world, but to take the time to  just say  something  to someone you see hurting, and let them know, "hey man... hey friend, you are not alone.We all go through storms, what is important is to not allow a temporary situation cause you to make a permanent decision." Take it a step further, if you see or know someone who you KNOW without a doubt has some disturbing or odd behavior going on, let someone know, somebody, ANYBODY that will listen. 
Imagine having to say AFTER THE FACT, "you know, I knew he or she wasn't right,"  I am certain having to say THAT has to be something that would affect you for the rest of your life.  Many see things happen, hear about things happening and think, that doesn't have anything to do with me so let me keep it moving.  You could be  that 1 person who unknowingly can make the difference, in a life and death situation.

All I know, we have to care and we must continue to believe we won't all become complacent and desensitized to this violence.  The day we are not phased nor emotionally affected by the brutal, horrendous acts of violence that continue to plague our society THIS, WILL BE THE DAY THE ENTIRE RACE OF MAN WILL HAVE BECOME...hopeless.