Its personal

Some really shocking programs have been on TV lately. Yesterday, I watched John Stossel interview people who had gone into hiding, been fired, disparaged or had their lives ruined for expressing an opinion that was not considered “appropriate”. The topic was free speech, titled  Censored in America. He stated that he interviewed people brave enough to speak out. Some label it “hate speech vs free speech”. You can watch a Stossel clip or search for it later. This is a series he started on free speech over the years. Americans have always believed in free speech, but free speech is less and less an option. It is personal. Only when your rights are lost, do you realize it.

Another TV special on 60 Minutes, The Hidden Holocaust  was just as striking. A French Catholic priest, Father Desbois’, has been interviewing the elderly to find anyone who might have witnessed the genocide of the Jewish people during WWII.

“[Father Desbois] has opened the door to the use of multiple sources to understand what really happened on the ground in a big part of Europe.”

Paralleling with ISIS- but with one major difference. The Nazi’s practiced secrecy, while ISIS seeks media attention. We still watch in silence as the horror unfolds. That’s the awful parallel. What would happen to anyone in these situation who spoke up?

“They were shooting them, as if they were dogs.” Does this have anything to do with the mass shootings at colleges that we have seen this week?

I don’t have the answers, but I do believe that the priest stated that he learned a lot about human beings. Villagers lined up to watch other people die. Human beings will watch the misery of others, as long as they don’t think they will ever be in that position. We are dulled to these tragedies by desensitization. It was a spectacle in WWII- and still today.

Some would blame mental illness. A truly psychotic individual is not capable of focused reality and organization sufficient to kill others. There are antisocial diagnoses, but those are titles for criminality and lack of concern for the rights of others. There is no medication for this condition or any other condition that reach this level of depravity. Depressed people are marked by apathy and lack of action. The lack of moral compass combined with excessive murder media breeds a contempt for life. Dr. Gordon Livingston, in Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, presents some powerful statements full of wisdom and life.

As a practicing psychiatrist, he reminds us that we are not our thoughts, words or feelings. We are what we do. He goes on to say, The good news is that we have effective treatments for depression; the bad news is that medication will not make you happy. Happiness is not merely the absence of despair. It is an affirmative state in which our lives have meaning and pleasure.

So, who can we blame these horrific actions on? The individuals who commit them are solely responsible or the governments/ organized groups who sanction, direct and organize these actions. We are responsible when we see evil and do not speak up. We must not watch silently or allow it to continue. It’s personal. If we don’t think it could happen to us, we are wrong. It can happen to anyone and it can happen anywhere.  “If you see something, say something”.