No Room for Hate

We are lost…

We are broken…

It’s time to find ourselves and work towards fixing ourselves, and then helping others fix themselves.  I use “fix” because that is what we do with broken things.  It may be too harsh of a verb for some, if it is, replace it with “heal” - same message.  In our current society, we don’t often look within to try and “fix” anything, instead we look at those around us, and if they’re “broken” we tend to dismiss or discard them, sometimes even blame them.  I digress - more on this later...  Instead, let’s talk about what brought me to my writing nook at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning - the words that wouldn’t allow me to sleep any longer.

We should have no room for hate or violence in our lives, yet as a society we constantly make excuses for both.  It is a sad, sad day when people can gloat about death; when people can scroll on their phone watch a murder, (maybe) gasp, and then scroll a little further and “heart” a funny cat video.  We have become heartless and voyeuristic, we hide behind “comments” and screens.  We all have an arsenal of opinions and are quick to lob them into a variety of ‘social’ platforms, reply boxes, and then sit and watch the mayhem ensue, becoming irate with any differing opinions - yet we don’t go out of our way to actually do something about the situation.  We, in essence, have become a large part of the problem and not the solution.

Many of us grew up on “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it” - that lesson was left somewhere along the way and it’s no longer being taught, instead we are teaching that firing insults is somehow empowering - there has to be a middle-ground somewhere, and we need to find it… FAST.

In EMT school we are taught to look for ‘distracting injuries’.  Those are the injuries that are so horrendous and in your face that they will distract you from the quieter, less messy but more deadly injuries.  For example - an open femur fracture with the bone sticking out at a right angle would surely get your attention; and while you’re focusing on it, you may miss one the of the subtle signs of a pneumothorax which if not treated, will result in rapid patient deterioration.  

Well people, right now, we are all being distracted by the hoopla.  Regardless of which side your on, or any side your on - the distractions are there.  We are distracted by the loud voices on one end screaming about gun control, and the equally loud voices on the other end screaming about second amendment.  And if you are truly in the middle, it literally makes you just want to cover your ears and lie in a fetal position until it’s over.  I know guns don’t kill people; people kill people - but which people?  Not everyone.  People with mental health conditions do, but once again, not all who face these challenges will resort to violence, and yes, some who don’t, will.  

We, as a society have dismissed and discarded people with mental health challenges.  If you disagree, please enlighten me as to where they can seek help.  Therapy, you say?  Yes, if they have insurance; and even so, insurance often only covers a certain amount of visits.  If they, or their families, have money they can pay for therapy out of pocket, but often those with more severe conditions are unable to keep a job or find a job that can accommodate them. There are some programs and facilities that try to help, but there are not many of them and they cannot always meet the demand for their services.  And of course, there are private facilities, but those can be very expensive.  The message is clear - if you have mental health issues and have money, you can probably find help, but if you don’t have money, you’re pretty much out on your own.

Another problem is that family members are often stuck because they try to call 9-1-1 for help for their son, daughter, wife, husband, mother, father who is having a psychological break, and the first responders are often unable to do anything if the patient is conscious, alert, and able to answer questions appropriately.  Taking such a patient against their will to the hospital could result in the ambulance crew being charged with kidnapping, and treating such a patient without their consent could result in charges of assault and battery.  Only licensed doctors, psychologists, clinical social workers, and judges can have a patient 1013’ed* (initiating an involuntary psychiatric evaluation in the State of Georgia**), and some Emergency Service zones have tried having one of the above ready to respond to the scene of psychiatric calls.  On paper, it sounds great, but in practice it’s difficult because these types of scenes typically escalate far quicker than it takes the social worker to get there.  We also charge police to “talk” the person down - don’t get me wrong I’ve worked with many police officers who do this well, but should it really be their responsibility?  Yes, they can help to diffuse a situation, but they are not trained psychologists, neither are the paramedics and EMTs on these scenes.  When I worked on an ambulance, I used to try to get the patient to come with me voluntarily and take them to the hospital.  Sometimes this worked, other times it didn’t.  More often than not, the scene would escalate the patient would end up in jail.

Jails*** are overcrowded and even though they do have medical staff, they are severely outnumbered and at the mercy of corrections officers who are also overworked and outnumbered.  It is not an environment that fosters healing.  There are so many people in jail whose only crime is mental illness; to me, THAT is a societal crime.

Not to mention that many of the people afflicted with mental health challenges are unhoused and this further aggravates the situation.  There’s also the cost of medications; I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.

It’s time for us as a society, as humans, as neighbours to stand up and be the change we want to see.  We need to stop getting distracted, being part of the problem, and become the catalyst to a solution.

Regardless of which religion you are (or aren’t) the basis of all of them is helping those who need help, being kind, treating others the way you want to be treated (or better yet - treat people the way you want your grandmother, or child treated).  This hate needs to stop, and it stops with us.  We have given those who would use our faiths to manipulate us the power by becoming distracted by what they are saying.  The way we take our power back is with LOVE and RESPECT of your fellow humans.  Love is not gloating over death, nor is it watching the murder of another; respect is not lobbing insults disguised as an opinion.  You know the only reason they post those horrendous videos is because you watch them. Stop watching that click bait at the expense of someone else’s life.  Be better; do better.

*This refers to the Form 1013 in the State of Georgia

**Laws in other States may differ.  Always refer to Local and State Laws.

***I cannot speak to prisons, since I have not worked in one; but I have worked in, and answered many 911 calls in jails.