COLLINS: Are we any closer to understanding the human mind?
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THIS QUESTION is being asked more and more as we work through this period in our history.
Is it more violent than other periods in our history? Probably not, but the frequency of these tragic events – and the publicity attached to them – certainly makes it seem that things have never been as bad as they are now. The “experts” have all sorts of reasons why these things happen, but my spidey sense tells me there are very basic reasons why tragedies like Tumbler Ridge this week happen.
I am not a psychiatric nurse, and I defer to their opinion. But any of the causes for this carnage boil down to one or two simple items. An excess of pressure on a person who might have nowhere to turn to improve his or her lot in life. For some who have no support to help, it’s not hard to see where that road leads. Peer pressure and bullying have all ramped up to force some to give up the fight. Some of the most vicious attacks are political in nature, some sparked by a mentality of going out with a bang. Some have become politically turned and are out to kill their mortal enemies.
In summary, there are big changes in how we diagnose those who are without support and how we set up plans to treat them. But providing those supports and the trained people to execute them is still a long way away. So these tragic events will likely continue, and our best defence right now is a heightened sense of observation to react to potential problems when they first develop, not when it’s over and all we can do is count those who didnʼt survive.
