Are we accepting mass shootings as a new norm?

It is the morning before Thanksgiving, and I woke up to a New York Times alert of a mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, at about 10:30pm last night.  It's Wednesday and Sunday I woke up to an alert that there was a mass shooting at Q Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  

Now, these community names sound pretty harmless, unlike the general public's perception of large urban areas. I am just saying I don't know the details of these communities, but these two locations succumbed to mass shootings. 

Saturday night is when friends and families get together to unwind, have a good time, and basically chill and relax after a week of school, work and responsibilities. People having harmless fun in the "land of the free" yet not being "free." 

Tuesday night, before Thanksgiving,  is a time to get the necessary items for Thanksgiving, which is Thursday. I, myself, was at the local grocery store in the morning, and the store was packed with people buying for Thanksgiving; also because most grocery stores aren't open on Thursday, and those that open will have lines at the checkout line that can go across the store. Yes, I have seen those lines, and they can give anyone a panic attack. 

Out at Walmart buying for Thanksgiving, tired from working all day with one more work day ahead, and someone comes in and shoots and kills you or your family and friends. This is not the first time this has happened. Is this the new norm? Back in May of this year, in Buffalo, a gunman entered a grocery store, and yes, another mass shooting. The victims were there to pick up a cake or food items for family get-togethers. Have you ever run into a grocery store to pick up a pastry for a friend? To celebrate an event? I have. I just did not expect to be killed doing that. Mass shootings have happened at job sites, schools, hospitals, traffic, subways, grocery stores, and everywhere. Do you feel safe?

It is unknown the thought process in the killer's mind last night, he is dead, and initial reports say he may have "taken his own life."  Club Q is called a hate crime because it was an LGBTQA  club, and there will be a slew of chargers. 

HATE . A disease that some people carry within them that motivates them to go and kill ( take the life away from another human).  

A society with hate is a sick society. It does not matter what their economy is like, how well they are perceived as doing, what the stock market is like, and please, is it really a "first world" when you can't go grocery shopping without fearing being murdered?

We live in a country where politicians comment about the size of each other's hands during a Presidential debate. There is more decorum at a high school debate competition, and there is better behavior at a high school student government meeting than at the United States Congress. 

There is pettiness and stubbornness. Government and legislation are being treated like athletic teams.

 There was a time in my lifetime when Conservatives and Liberals could work together for the country we all reside in. Perhaps I will be accused of being biased, but my observation is that Republicans are more focused on winning ( for their team, Team Republican) and are forgetting their real purpose. 

How long are we going to wake up to mass shootings? Hopefully, they will stop before we find ourselves in the wrong place and are shot and killed.  If you are reading this, think about it and what you can do. Are you willing to contact your legislators? Let's look beyond the idea of everyone carrying a gun. If one is shopping, one is focused and on task. The gunman has the upper hand because they have planned and are ready. Also, everyone shooting in an enclosed area will kill more people. Think about it. We have to focus beyond the idea of everyone carrying a gun. This means everyone is ready to kill. That is the core of this problem, killing. 

I think we need to explore where the hate is coming from. Is it social, financial, or psychiatric? Whatever it is, let's try and find out. Hatred is a disease that destroys the carrier and those around them. We can do better. We must do better. 

Women and Babies......

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/entertainment-celebrity/a-decision-has-been-made-about-the-future-of-the-kelly-clarkson-show-more-news-icymi/ss-AA13ZJZ3?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6ea93dac665d4d2f88e8f88ef775887a#image=3

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/entertai

nment-celebrity/a-decision-has-been-made-about-the-future-of-the-kelly-clarkson-show-more-news-icymi/ss-AA13ZJZ3?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6ea93dac665d4d2f88e8f88ef775887a#image=3

Why ask why but I still ask why? Why are reports of Jennifer Anston's inability to get pregnant and her feelings about not having thought to freeze her eggs etc.? Why now, and do we care or need to know. 

Since I am a product of the national distrust in this country, I ask, is there an ulterior motive?  

As women, we are supposed to be sweet and nice and everything nice. We are supposed to be "happy domestic" women.  

Could it be that Jennifer is on the verge of busting out with a new movie or project, and making her vulnerable and sad about not having had children is a ploy to get her "liked better?" 

While I don't have the stats about women without children, it happens every day that women do not become mothers for various social and medical reasons. 

It is not our business why she did not have children, freeze her eggs, or use a surrogate. 

And if she did not want to have children or just never got pregnant, that does not minimize her skills and talent as an entertainer. 

We can like or dislike Jennifer as an entertainer by delving into her personal or reproductive life. 

  

Interesting priorities

 What are our cultural priorities? Do we care about others?  Is profit the primary motivator?

This morning on National Public Radio (NPR), I heard gas prices had decreased. However, insulin prices are high, and some American families must travel to Canada because they cannot afford insulin. As I hear this, I think about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the political opposition to the Act.

One of the goals of the ACA was to have everyone with health insurance coverage (Manchikanti et al., 2017). If everyone is covered and has access to health care, it suggests a healthier community and country. Is health not a right for human beings and animals even?

When gasoline prices increased, there was outrage. However, for healthcare, specifically insulin, there does not appear to be the same outrage. I wonder why? Is it we blame the victim? The person did something to cause their diabetes? Did the parents of children with diabetes do something wrong?

Did you know that in 1923 the patent for insulin was sold for $1.00? The patent owners wanted insulin to be available for everyone who needed it (The Soaring Cost of Insulin, n.d.) In today’s social-economic climate, the goal seems to be profit. Insulin prices are so high that  people with diabetes have to ration their insulin which ultimately affects their health and well-being (Huang, 2019).

Perhaps it is time for introspection. What do we want as Americans? As people? And for others in our society? Where is our empathy? If our brothers and sisters are strong, we are strong. Each one of us being healthy in mind and body makes a strong and healthy nation.

 Thank you for reading. 

 

References

Huang, B. (2019, November 14). Insulin rationing led to daughter’s death, lehigh valley woman says. high cost forces many diabetics to do the same. The Morning Call. https://www.mcall.com/health/mc-hea-insulin-rationing-poverty-20191114-2a5yaasyrbaute57t6dyo3leam-story.html

Manchikanti, L., MD, Helom, S., III, Benyamin, R. M., MD, & Hirsch, J. A., MD. (2017). A critical analysis of Obamacare: Affordable care or insurance for many and coverage for few. Pain Physician Journal, (20), 111–138. www.painphysicianjournal.com

The soaring cost of insulin. (n.d.). CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/blog/the-soaring-cost-of-insulin-1.4995290#:~:text=In%201923%2C%20the%20patent%20for%20insulin%20was%20sold,the%20U.S.%20And%20that%20has%20implications%20for%20Canada.

 

 

I was thinking. I think we need the Oprah book club back.

 I was thinking. I think we need the Oprah book club back.

I hear from many people about their stress and how they feel that people do not care, are rude, and feel that humanity is not in a good place. Of course, we can blame COVID and other stressors, but the reality is that we can be living better and treating each other better. Common observation and complaint is the nastiness of the comments people make to each other and comments about “ cancel culture,” which means different things to different people. However, the reality is a lack of forgiveness and the sense that people make mistakes but are perhaps taught about the problem so they can learn and do better next time. Another controversial term is “woke.” One would think that “woke” means awake and enlightened, but that is used to downplay a progressive idea.

I think we need Oprah’s book club back. This thought came to me as I was working on a presentation.  My presentation is on the use of fiction to assist medical and mental health providers in learning, among other things, to understand their minority clients. In fiction, the protagonist has a voice, I feel it is non-threatening and enlightens the reader about the protagonist's culture and experience. It’s a way to make us more sensitive to other people who may look different or speak differently, but once those layers are removed, we are all the same and want the same things from life.

Oprah’s book club started before everyone was overfocused on their phones, videos, and reels. Books were for sale everywhere, and you could pick one up at the coffee shop or grocery store. Then, once a month, Oprah would discuss the book. Oprah’s books often had a theme, family, family dysfunction, and child abuse/neglect to name a few that stood out for me. Perhaps some will be offended by “woke,” but let us wake up. We are all imperfect humans trying to do the best we can, let us focus on helping and caring for each other.

Thank you for reading.

College or Vocational Program?

 In the United States, the thought is that high school graduates will attend college and that is the road to success. 

That being said, we read reports of job sites halting projects because there are not enough electricians or plumbers for the job. 

There seems to be the belief that the only road to success is college. However, college graduates are leaving college or graduating with huge debt. Many times they have difficulty finding jobs and many are unhappy in their jobs. 

I don't think we have to persuade kids with low school motivation into trades but we need to allow children and teens to become aware of their strengths or "gifts" and help them find their place in the world. 

Some people are more agile than others when it comes to using tools and building, such a person would not be at peak joy in front of a computer analyzing data no matter how much money they make. 

We need to stop placing jobs and professions on scaffolding with certain jobs on top and others on the bottom. 

The person with callouses that builds furniture with a smile and passion is just as important as the person that buys that furniture for their medical office. The key is to find and help teens where they feel not just "passion" but a sense of pride and accomplishment by utilizing the strengths and " gifts" they were born with. 

One can also attend college and then become a house painter. College is about learning and growing. It seems as if we see college as a vocational institution but it truly is not. When we start college we all take the same classes and later focus on the core classes of our major. This is for intellectual growth that doesn't equate to a job. 

We live in a rather unhappy country and if you look up the statistics there is a lot of substance use and abuse, and a large number of people on antidepressants and antianxiety medication. Domestic violence, divorce and let's not forget mass shootings. We can and need to do better as a society. 

Let's look at our strengths, and our kids' strengths and quit being judgemental. Let's embrace all studies, all professionals including trades. 

Thank you for reading and think good thoughts! 

Learning to relax- it's a "work in progress" for many of us.

 It's Monday, and I wanted to gift you something. Trying this for a few minutes -as needed- during the day can be a good stress releaser. You can also begin or end your day with t

Let's talk about banging your head. Yes, head injuries.

 I am sure you have heard about comedian and actor Bob Saget and his death to head trauma that no one saw coming, including him.  This hits home for me as I was with a person, close to me, that fell , had a laceration a week before the conclusion of Bob Saget's autopsy came out. 

My situation was a person falling and having a gash on their head, seemed "ok" and of course there was blood. Fire Rescue was called and they seemed to think "maybe go to Urgent Care or ER for stitches."  

No one truly wants to head out to the ER after past experiences of at least a 6-hour wait in the ER and this was before COVID. 

So I took said person to Urgent Care, They walked in and seemed fine, got stitches but they recommended at Urgent Care that  I drive them or they could call an ambulance and go to the ER for a Cat Scan due to the person's age, just to make sure everything is OK. 

Fast forward to  Cat Scan and the person had a brain bleed and slight fracture. 

I am glad that we all followed medical recommendations. Not having known this information it could have had a very different outcome. 

I bring this up because we live in times where people don't listen to professionals and some people would have said, " oh, we will go tomorrow"- tomorrow would have been too late. 

Also, we hit our heads, touch it and move on. This may have been what Mr. Saget did. Honestly, I think I would have probably done the same thing. I now look back at all those times I hit my head throughout my life and think, wow, it could have gone so wrong. 

And a special shout out to people that ride bikes. WEAR A HELMET! I don't care what kind of bike or where you are riding, WEAR A HELMET! 

Thank you for reading.