After hearing about the recent school tragedy at Virginia Tech, I wondered about the message this violent act holds up as a mirror for the world. Such acts of violence regardless of where they take place in the world or what country of origin is represented by the perpetrator(s) are horrifying in themselves. We need to look deeply into these events and ourselves for insights that will help us understand this now universal phenomenon.
I recalled some statistics I recently read about depression being a major problem in some developed countries. It was estimated that more than twenty million Americans [18 and above] have major depressive disorders, and preschoolers and young children are the fastest growing market for antidepressants. These statistics only reflect those who are being medicated. It is depressing [pun intended] to contemplate what addictive behavior the millions of other undiagnosed and non-medicated people, including teenagers, are adopting to cope with their lives.
These are indicators of the spiritual health of our country. Another measure is greed, which evidently is the new morality, and our government and many leaders defend it and go along with it. It is also apparent in the lack of morality in the entertainment and news industries. Our traditional cultural paradigm is now on life-support.
As a friend noted recently, “Not only has Elvis left the building, virtually all the role models and arbiters of sane behavior have also decamped.”
In our Western culture it has been obvious for a long time that greed, overworking and rushing through life is not the answer to our problems. Religion has not been the answer either, at least not in the form embraced by our U.S. political leaders. Crime is on the rise, as well as prescription and illegal drug addiction, which are also evidence of a spiritually ailing society. It seems the addictions are needed by some to cope with what we have created in our culture. Maybe this is part of the message being mirrored for us by these violent events here and around the world.
Maybe such acts of violence are desperate cries expressing the inconsolable soul sadness that seems to be reaching pandemic proportions around the world. I believe it is a nonverbal plea for humanity to look at a lack of meaning and faith in life, the disconnectedness with self, each other, and the earth. When hope is lost, despair enters in and then life—theirs, yours and anyone else’s—has no meaning.
The challenge is huge. It won’t be solved in our country by a specific candidate we elect from either party. We’re on a slippery slope that has been eroding for a very long time. It will require a major retooling and redirection that may not even be possible at this stage.
I believe the core of our problem lies within the heart and soul of each of us. As individuals we lost touch with our spirit, our soul, and in a cause-and-effect action, our government and the nation lost its moral compass.
The only way to resolve this is through becoming aware of and reconnecting with the inherent spirituality in humanity. Spirituality is a way of living that will allow us to evolve and reach the full potential of the spiritual human beings we were born to be. Science has proven that we are one with the earth and everyone and everything on it. The small and large choices we make each day make a difference and affect the entire planet.
Can we live each day in loving kindness, in truth and integrity, in compassionate tolerance for others and their beliefs, honoring life, each other, the earth and our personal commitments?
These are the standards of spirituality. This is the key to curing the ills of our planet. No one said it would be quick or easy.
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
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