I have never written a blog about this before. I tend to keep pretty quiet about politics or heated topics, but due to my own experiences, I am quite sensitive to these issues. After recent events, this subject has been on my mind. Not to mention, I study things like this in my major almost daily.
I’m quite passionate about this subject. As a college student AND a female, I deal with issues like this quite often.
Violence in our society is a big issue. After events like the Isla Vista campus shooting, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Virgina Tech, Columbine, and so many more, I can’t deny that something is wrong in our society. Things like this should NOT be happening. We live in a fallen world, yes. But there is more going on here. We need to take responsibility for the culture we have created.
The first part of this I want to address is mental health. The issues surrounding mental health have always borrowed me to the core. As someone who has struggled and overcome mental health issues, I was always bothered by the stigma surrounding mental health. When you are sick, you go to the doctor. No one looks at you funny or thinks anything different of you just because you have the flu. But if you have any form of a mental health illness, people don’t know how to deal with that. They want to hide you away until you “get better” and then they feel comfortable interacting with you again. Don’t get me wrong, there is something to be said for those who are a danger to others at large, and that does happen. But, mental health treatment is normal and shouldn’t be looked down upon. In fact, it healthy mental health choices should be encouraged.
One of the big reasons we have violence in our society is because of a lack of affordability and accessibility for mental health. I can’t tell you how many people I know who say, “yeah, I should see a counselor, but I don’t have time or I cant afford it.” This needs to change! In my years of seeing a counselor, it has helped me immensely. I want mental health to be regulated just as physical health is. In the school system, you have certain requirements for returning to school the next year. You have to see a doctor, get certain vaccinations, etc. Mental health should be the same! Kids should have to be evaluated and warning signs need to be observed.
The second big factor I want to address is the role of women. Women have become objects in society. They are used to sell products by using their bodies to promote a brand name. Women have unrealistic expectations placed on them all the time: Don’t be fat, but don’t be too skinny. Have emotions, but not so many that you’re crazy. Don’t be a prude and give it up already, but if you do you’re a slut. Women have to face these contradictory messages constantly about who they are and what their role is on society. The biggest expectation that bothers me is that women are expected to give away sex-anytime, anyplace. There is the idea among some men that women owe them sex and pleasure just because they are women.
This idea is false and so wrong. As someone who has first hand experience with these types of men, it sickens me. It sickens me that this continues to be an issue in society. It bothers me that men (and some women) believe this lie and reduce women to a slave. God created men and women, both of them, in his image. Both the man and the woman have roles, designed by God, to grow and work and contribute to the Kingdom of God. I have embraced this role and who God says I am. It has changed my life.
The third part I want to address is men. In society, men are also under a lot of pressure. I have no idea what that pressure feels like, but I can only imagine. Men are told to show no emotion, unless its anger. Why is anger the only accepted emotion for men to express? If they cry, they are considered pussys. In order to deal with these unrealistic expectations and denial of human emotions, men often bottle up their emotions. They end up exploding because they have no way to deal. This video expresses this way better than I would be able to articulate:
http://www.upworthy.com/theres-something-absolutely-wrong-with-what-we-do-to-boys-before-they-grow-into-men?c=upw1
The fourth part I want to at least mention is gun violence. While this is an important issue, this isn’t the most important. Violence can happen without a gun: through other weapons, drugs, or physical aggression. Guns are just a powerful symptom and voice of a much larger issue.
There is more going on here than I have the eloquence to address. Our society is sick. And it’s time to see a doctor.
Joyfully Remade 