disgruntled
Jun 14, 2008, 18:05
Thank you for the replies to my previous post.
A very good question was raised " Why are random knife attacks becoming more prevalent ?" A complex question , the answers are numerous and are going to raise hackles with many people .
I may not be qualified to answer this . The answers I give are from personal experience , life experience , common sense and hopefully wisdom gained by age .
In my opinion , the major contributing factors for these acts of violence are as follows.
1) A culture of achievement above all else . For people that do not achieve the high standards of success and status expected of them by family and society this can be very demoralizing and frustrating .
2) Be stoic , again a cultural requisite . Suppressing emotions and feelings because they should not be shown in public . This leads to an ever downward spiral , eventually leading to suppressing all emotions and feelings at all times .
3) Insufficient mental health care . This is related to point 2 . Because of the culture of not expressing oneself emotionally it was perceived that there is no need for mental health care professionals . This creates a vacuum and youngsters that would benefit at Jr High schools and High schools from councilling are going unnoticed and the seriously mentally disturbed are falling through the cracks in the system .
4) The extensive media coverage given to these acts of violence and the detail used to describe the tragedy . For someone that has been marginalized by society because of under achievement this opens the door for them . If the act is violent enough to garner media attention they in turn gain a level of INFAMY and recognition that was before not available to them .
With the above points in mind I now say .
It is far more important to recognize the individual than their achievements . Success is not quantified by status or wealth but rather by how well adjusted and respected the individual is ( character and personality ). Praise should be given for the effort rather than the achievement ( nobody can do better than their best ) , not everyone can be a champion . A very profound example of this is seen on TV too often . Sports personalities ( celebrities) crying because of not finishing in 1st place , the fact that they participated and did their best is overlooked .
The rejection and disenfranchisement of people because they come from inferior circumstances ( not the right neighborhood , school , college or family name ) needs to be abolished . Irrespective of a persons background we all put our pants on one leg at a time . So , who is better than the next ?. At times we all feel frustrated , unwanted , unloved , insufficient or inadequate , it is the support of those around us that carries us through these emotionally trying times . Shouldn't that support be given to all instead of the select achievers ?
Lastly , TALK . Communication with others is paramount . The development of social skills and communication is the key to harmonious living in such an overcrowded society . There are 126 million people living on these small islands called Japan . If we can't talk to each other then we are doomed . By the same token , if we don't listen to each other ( communication is a two way street ) then all is lost .
I'm not a religious man but I pray to all the Gods of creation , sect , religion and culture that we start looking out for our brothers and sisters (every human being we meet on our journey through life ) .
A very good question was raised " Why are random knife attacks becoming more prevalent ?" A complex question , the answers are numerous and are going to raise hackles with many people .
I may not be qualified to answer this . The answers I give are from personal experience , life experience , common sense and hopefully wisdom gained by age .
In my opinion , the major contributing factors for these acts of violence are as follows.
1) A culture of achievement above all else . For people that do not achieve the high standards of success and status expected of them by family and society this can be very demoralizing and frustrating .
2) Be stoic , again a cultural requisite . Suppressing emotions and feelings because they should not be shown in public . This leads to an ever downward spiral , eventually leading to suppressing all emotions and feelings at all times .
3) Insufficient mental health care . This is related to point 2 . Because of the culture of not expressing oneself emotionally it was perceived that there is no need for mental health care professionals . This creates a vacuum and youngsters that would benefit at Jr High schools and High schools from councilling are going unnoticed and the seriously mentally disturbed are falling through the cracks in the system .
4) The extensive media coverage given to these acts of violence and the detail used to describe the tragedy . For someone that has been marginalized by society because of under achievement this opens the door for them . If the act is violent enough to garner media attention they in turn gain a level of INFAMY and recognition that was before not available to them .
With the above points in mind I now say .
It is far more important to recognize the individual than their achievements . Success is not quantified by status or wealth but rather by how well adjusted and respected the individual is ( character and personality ). Praise should be given for the effort rather than the achievement ( nobody can do better than their best ) , not everyone can be a champion . A very profound example of this is seen on TV too often . Sports personalities ( celebrities) crying because of not finishing in 1st place , the fact that they participated and did their best is overlooked .
The rejection and disenfranchisement of people because they come from inferior circumstances ( not the right neighborhood , school , college or family name ) needs to be abolished . Irrespective of a persons background we all put our pants on one leg at a time . So , who is better than the next ?. At times we all feel frustrated , unwanted , unloved , insufficient or inadequate , it is the support of those around us that carries us through these emotionally trying times . Shouldn't that support be given to all instead of the select achievers ?
Lastly , TALK . Communication with others is paramount . The development of social skills and communication is the key to harmonious living in such an overcrowded society . There are 126 million people living on these small islands called Japan . If we can't talk to each other then we are doomed . By the same token , if we don't listen to each other ( communication is a two way street ) then all is lost .
I'm not a religious man but I pray to all the Gods of creation , sect , religion and culture that we start looking out for our brothers and sisters (every human being we meet on our journey through life ) .