Yesterday was our 8 year wedding anniversary. Yesterday was also the day that some mentally ill person chose to go shoot up our local mall. While the usual talk of banning guns, violent video games, blah blah blah was brought up, not one single person brings up the fact that we have a mental illness crisis going on. A normal person doesn't plan a mass shooting and wake up and load a gun and walk into a crowded mall. Just like a normal person doesn't plan a late night move theater shooting, even taking the time to watch the first 30 minutes of the movie! I suppose even if we owned up to the fact that more and more Americans are falling victim to mental illness, we would all have opinions on why and how to treat them.
I'm not exactly sure what is going on, but I have an idea. We live in a very connected society, but really have no human interaction. Everyone is busy with their own life and their own problems, that we ignore the people around us. We may talk on the phone, or text someone, but that is not the interaction that God made us for. He wanted us to sit face to face, laugh together, hug, kiss, talk. Why do you think people get homesick or miss a loved one that goes away? Because we weren't meant to be separated for long. All humans desire attention, love and interaction, but our current society has taken that away from us. Sure it is great to be able to stay connected to someone who lives far away by emails, letters or phone calls, but it will never replace the face to face time that we desire. It pains me to see a family sitting at a restaurant all looking down at their phones, only looking up to order, or a parent fiddling with their phone while their kid tries to get their attention. We are raising a generation that will be numb to love. Most kids don't even know what a hug is. I remember my Grandma loved to kiss, we never really did it at our house, so it made me uncomfortable. My family was never really affectionate, and I had never hugged many of my family members until my Sister died. Random kids at school would come up and hug me, it kind of freaked me out. At that moment I felt like an isolated puppy, being shown love for the first time. I guess that is why our house is filled with hugs and kisses 24/7, to make up for the lack of ones growing up. With all the crap going on in the world, kids need to know that they can come home and be loved unconditionally.
Yesterday was also the birthday of one of my dearest friends, who passed away earlier this year. She was the best hugger in the entire world! I loved showing up to work, just to get a hug from her. Her hugs were so good, that shortly after she died I had a dream about her hugging me and it made me feel wonderful! Her hugs were actually addicting, she was that good at it. It also made me feel special and loved. A simple hug can do so much!
Most school bullies come from homes that lack affection. Most violent offenders come from homes that lack affection. We are headed down a dangerous path.
Boy, did this post take a random turn. I started rambling again. :) In a nutshell, don't blame guns or violent video games for things like this. The pen is mightier than the sword, and a hug is mightier than a gun. Go out and hug somebody!
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