Looking For Light Within Tragedy
My heart is broken today as another tragedy hits our world. Arising at my usual 6am, I turn on the news to hear about the horrific scene that took place in Thousand Oaks, California. The horrendous loss of life, the pain on the faces of the kids who were enjoying a night out on the town, and the tears of the parents were devastating. All of this points to a very confused society of people.
Thousand Oaks is a city that will most likely face a social transformation from a ‘war-like’ environment, which has created tremendous loss and will affect people’s interactions and lifestyle in the future. Social transformation refers to the process of altering the status (in this case, it reflects upon safety) of one’s parents to resemble their current status.[1] The fear of this disaster will not be forgotten and will most likely will be carried into future generations. The safety that this town once felt (and no longer holds) will carry on in people’s thoughts, hearts and minds, thus affecting the social status of safety in this city with regards to the present and on into the future. The innocence of a safe society is no longer present for this town – and may not be felt for many generations to come.
According to Wikipedia, social theories are paradigms used to study and interpret social phenomena. I love the words that make up this definition, but what does it really all mean? Elliot explains that certain core themes take precedence over others, such as the nature of social life, the relationship between self and society, and the role of social transformation.[2] Social transformation can encompass many values, including economic or psychosocial factors.
Having worked in the counseling world for so long, I see generational psychosocial barriers that people face. These can be from generational poverty, long term mental abuse, and/or fear that is created through traumatic environments. Although often these factors play over long periods of times, sometimes crisis situations can harbor within society and create ongoing transformation, such as a fear from safety that a society may hold – and future generations often carry this societal fear within them through their experiences.
Elliot further explores the theory between self and society in his book, Social Theory and Psychoanalysis in Transition. Elliot contends that “the unconscious is a constitutive and creative force of human subjectivity capable of not only individual but social transformation.”[3] The relationship between self and society becomes compromised when a tragedy occurs that removes the protective barrier that people often feel is available through their social circle. When this occurs, trust is broken, and people lose faith in the protective nature that society can often hold.
Looking at this situation and so many others similar to this, I truly believe that mental health needs to be a focus for our society to make changes in the pattern of society. Yes, gun control is also important, but we must help our young people make better choices during their pain than to pull out a gun and start shooting fellow youth. First, we must change the way society looks at mental health and make it an acceptable means towards healing; just as medical doctors are accepted to treat physical ailments. Secondly, we must make mental health more prevalent and available to people, especially youth. We must strengthen our response to these situations by accepting mental health professionals and empowering their value in society.
Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his/her abilities, can cope with the stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to society.[4] Let’s provide help to hurting individuals so that their contribution to society is not a mass shooting. And let Christ’s light continue to shine on those who have been affected by this horrendous tragedy.
There are answers. We have a Good Book that is our Manual for Healing. John 8:12 is one of my faves: “Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Let the light of Christ always shine from within you and out into society to reflect love and acceptance to others in our truly hurting world!
Blessings to you, my friends….
[1] Anthony Elliott, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Routledge: Kindle edition, 2014).
[2] Elliot, Contemporary Social Theory.
[3] Anthony Elliot, Social Theory and Psychoanalysis in Transition (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1992).
[4] Elliott, Social Theory and Psychoanalysis.
About the Author
Nancy VanderRoest
Nancy is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and fulfills God's calling on her life by serving as a Chaplain & Counselor with Hospice. In her spare time, Nancy works with the anti-human trafficking coalition in her local community.12 responses to “Looking For Light Within Tragedy”
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Nancy,
Thanks so much for your words of healing and inspiration. Thanks so much for sharing from your experience in mental health to challenge us to return to our Good Book on Healing. You are always such a ray of sunshine, especially on dark gray days. I look forward to see how your research will bless others, H
Thank you for the kind words, Harry. We have a hurting society and I know that each one of us has a calling to ‘touch’ that hurt in some way on our journey through this trying world. You have a gift of caring, my friend, that is very special. I still remember the power of the night we surrounded you and prayed for you. You are an inspiration, Harry, and I am so glad we get to journey together through this cohort.
Thank you Nancy for sharing your views on these tragedies that are becoming commonplace in society. I agree with you that there’s need for more attention and focus on the mental health of the society and especially the youth. Do you think the society could also have failed in passing on the right values from the older generation to the young? I have heard and read about the society’s concern for the millennials and their ability to cope with the challenges and pressures of life, as the bride of Christ we have a big responsibility to shine the light of Christ to s hurting world.
Thanks for your response, Wallace. Yes, I’ve seen a generation that has moved more towards finding inner joy than helping others find the gift of joy. This is so backwards with regards to Christ’s teaching. It is by helping others find peace and joy -that we find happiness and fulfillment within. Yet, people don’t realize that and we’ve become a nation of believing that it is all about us! I do see the younger generation neglecting the elderly as they travel a path of trying to find happiness for themselves. The true gift is in giving, and it is so easy to do, but our society focuses on making ourselves GREAT instead. So sad…
Great words and post not just for the recent tragedy but all that may come as well, both publicly and privately. Some prominent athletes have come out and spoken openly about how mental health has been a struggle with for them and this seems to be shedding some light on what has been hidden for so long. What are some other ways you think we can help knock off the negative stemma of talking about this particular subject?
Hi Mario. Thanks for your response. You know, I wish there was an easy answer to getting rid of the stigma that reaching out for help makes us look weak and/or dependent upon others. We should ALL be dependent upon others. That was what Jesus taught. Galatians 6:2 directs us to ‘bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.’ I think encouraging equality between physical and mental illness would be a start. Mental illness truly is a disease, just like diabetes or cancer. Helping especially youth to begin to grasp this concept through our school can help alleviate some of the stereotype in the future.
Nancy, there are some things that no amount of social theories can explain or make sense of, such as these mass shootings. You are right that the Bible is the answer, but we also need some practical ways of helping those suffering from mental issues such as PTSD. I pray that answers come soon. Lord help us.
You and me both, my friend. PTSD is so prevalent in the world and it is a destructive disease. PTDS can come from any type of trauma: war, trauma, crisis situation, etc.. Intrusive memories recreate the trauma over and over again within the person. The ongoing trauma eventually causes a loss of reality and judgement is skewed. It is a terrifying disease; both for the person who has it and for those who suffer the consequences of their actions.
Nancy, so much to think about. Your post made me wonder if part of the issue is that as a society we’ve never dealt well with emotional pain. Whether it’s the ‘grin and bear it’ that Americans lean into or the ‘stiff upper lip’ of the British, it seems like we’ve striven to negate that things get tough emotionally. I hope that we’re raising a generation that’s able to speak about their feelings, but that’s not going to happen until we as the older generations start encouraging it. Thanks again.
Sean, you are so right. I think that education for younger generations that helps to alleviate the stigma is key to changing the perception in the future. Encouraging equality of physical and mental illness – and the treatment for both – will be a factor in helping erase the stigma. Helping to empower youth towards more positive perceptions will also be important. And, most importantly, bringing faith in Christ back into schools and our communities will be the ultimate answer!
Nancy, you have raised up very important issues concerning the rotten society we live in. I am drawn more by your mental health issues which have been neglected by many governments and society. There is a saying that says that “All of us have some levels of mental disorder, but what matters is to what degree is one’s mental level.” On the other hand, problems of this world brought about by our own self, have created many issues of mental cases and until a tragedy happens as you have stated Nancy, we all feel things are alright. Do you think controlling arms handling will reduce such cases of murder?
Hi John. Thanks for responding to my post. Yes, I do believe that gun control is important, especially when it comes to semi-automatic rifles and pistols. But I also believe that increased mental health is necessary to help people who are hurting to make better decisions. We are a self-centered society and this has created a selfish world around us. My prayer is that belief in Christ will become center-state in our schools and communities again.