American Social Illness

As a teacher and as Aunt Mimi to my beautiful three year old niece Hanna, the violence in our schools tears my heart apart.  After the terrible tragedy this Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School, many are quick to jump on the gun control bandwagon.  Personally, I think blaming this tragedy on guns vastly oversimplifies the issue. I think it's a sign of a much larger social illness in our society. 

For example, the bombardment of violence in the media and entertainment desensitizes people. For instance, growing up I was not allowed to watch bloody, violent shows or play those kinds of games...to this day, I can't stomach the violence on a lot of those shows and other forms of media and entertainment. Thus, I am still quite sensitive to violence.   I had to get up and leave the movie theater during the movie, Blood Diamond, because the violence upset me so much.  I had to stop watching the TV series, 24, because it gave me horrible nightmares…think about it…each episode of that show was an hour of one day…and at least one person died violently in every episode.  But the media and our entertainment is only part of the problem.

Another issue is how our children are being raised and educated.  For example, I was raised to respect and fear the danger of guns. Since my dad is a hunter, he taught me about gun safety and also the value of life. He taught me that killing an animal to put dinner on the table for his family is not the same as killing for sport.  Additionally, my father taught me never to point a gun at a person, to always have the safety on, never bring a loaded gun into the house and other important lessons.  

In addition, our children are no longer taught morality in school as many of the older generations were.  Likewise, God, spirituality and religion have fallen to the wayside in many of my fellow Americans.  I learned from my family, from my school and from my church that killing a human being is one of the worst possible sins.  I was blessed to be brought up so well by my parents, but American values are changing.  

I think blaming our problems on guns is far too simple of a solution and will not really address the issues of what Americans value and how we raise our children. Moreover, a lack of compassion and empathy in our society damages the collective soul of our nation.  Lack of mental health care also contributes to this overall social problem. All of these issues in totality are creating a collective social illness in my opinion.

 Image from Time.com

Grandma Hrico

I feel like my Grandma was trying to get me ready for these last hours of her life and that she knew her time was running short over the past couple of years.  Four or five years ago, she gave me a bunch of their Christmas decorations when they were getting too old to put them all out...I cherish each ornament as I place it on the tree...especially the ones my pap made.  They also gave me a bunch of little under-the-tree decorations that my pap made...he loved his plaster of paris and his paints. Over the past couple years since I moved back home, Grandma gave me all kinds of little things from an emergency kit for my car to kitchen odds and ends. I most treasure the silverware she gave me that she was given for her wedding.  But more importantly, it has been a blessing these past years that I moved back home because I got to spend more time with them.  Last year, we all went to church on their wedding anniversary and sang together in Slovak "God Grant Us Many Years."  But my Grandma knew...she commented that would probably be the last anniversary we all could gather together at the church for.  She hung on for one more anniversary this year in the nursing home...64 years!  I pray tonight that she doesn't have to suffer too much more and that she finds peace in God's loving embrace.
(Photo below is their 50 year wedding anniversary)