THE DISCONNECTION OF SOME KILLERS FROM OUR REALITY

Is there anything we can do to prevent tragedies like the recent killings of children at two of our nation’s schools? Anyone who rapes or murders another human being is either evil or mentally sick. When the victims are children, the crimes belong in a different and much more gruesome category.

Protecting our innocent and vulnerable young should be a priority at the local and national levels. Parents have a job to do, and the government has a job to do. Parents should teach their children to stay avoid being alone and unsupervised, to stay away from strangers, and to yell for help and run away if a potential kidnapper approaches. However, there is little parents can do when children are inside school. Obviously, the school boards at public schools and the authorities at private schools must take necessary security measures to minimize the entrance of unauthorized persons on their premises.

Can we do more? Can we attack the root of the problem by finding the causes that drive people to commit heinous criminal acts? Perhaps we can. Psychiatry, Psychology, or Sociology is not one of my fields of knowledge. Whatever I say here, therefore, comes from the mind of a non-expert.

There is not much we can do about crazy people, except to hold them and treat them at a mental facility. Evil people are not crazy. Individuals with a long criminal history have made a commitment to a life of evil. They, we should treat harshly, by giving them long jail sentences for the lesser offenses. Those guilty of premeditated murder should get the death penalty. Shorten the appeal process, to ensure the state carries out the execution within a reasonable time. Anything beyond one year is too much in my view. Mind you, we are talking here about inmates who have a long criminal history. In other words, there is no doubt these individuals are consummate criminals. To decrease the likelihood of wrongfully sentencing an innocent person to jail or to death, the judicial system must set up proper standards and procedures.

In addition to insane and evil killers, I believe in the disconnection of some killers from our reality. They are not out of their minds. The disconnection is not with reality per se, but with our reality, that of normal people. Isolation is the problem, I believe. The lack of nurturing touch from family, friends and society causes these people to retreat into a world of their own, a mental environment created out of prejudice, fears, phobias, and misconceptions—fertile ground for the development of antisocial and aberrant desires.

Close-knit families rarely if ever breed monsters. Children thrive in environments where love and caring predominate. They usually grow up to become productive members of society. The communication channels are always open in these types of families. Answering questions, dispelling doubts, and clarifying complex issues is part of the job of a good parent. It is difficult to know the number of parents that fail in this respect, but I would bet is an alarming number judging from the general level of antisocial behavior we witness, especially in young people.

The isolation problem also exists at the societal level. Small towns have the reputation of being good for the healthy rearing of children. People know each other, and everyone looks out for everybody else. At least, that is the way it was years ago. I am not sure it is the case today. Perhaps there are too many transients due to an increase in economic activity, travel and tourism, not to mention illegal immigrants. In that respect, concerning safe environments for children, modern society has made things worse not better.

As regards our big cities, it is easy for someone to become isolated in one of them. Loners abound. For them to remain normal and connected to our reality, close contact with family, people at work, a church, a social club, a social worker, or some other reliable entity is necessary. If isolated people fail to initiate contact, how can society do it? How do we identify these individuals and try to offer them support? Living in a free country, we cannot and should not try to force people into entering relationships. However, we can educate the population as to the nature of the isolation problem, and we can promote the availability of the people and institutions willing to lend a hand.

Charles Carl Roberts, the man who committed suicide after murdering five girls and injuring others in an Amish community, was mad at God and perturbed over his molestation of two family members more than twenty years ago. Police found no evidence of sexual abuse after speaking to the women Roberts said he molested. The women denied any sort of sexual contact with Roberts. If so, how did this man come to believe that lie? If it is not a lie, and he did abuse the girls but they do not remember, then he should have sought therapy or talked to somebody to come to terms with that episode and with any deviant thoughts that were bothering him.

Talking to caring and qualified people could have also helped Roberts cope with the premature death of his daughter some years back. He blamed God for the tragedy, which leads me to believe Roberts thought everything that happens in this world is God’s will. An atheist would have told him God does not exist and, therefore, is not guilty of wrongdoing. A believer could have told him God sets the laws of the universe, but then remains impartial, letting whatever happens happen. Another person could have given a different valid and possible answer. The point is normal people could have come to his aid, if only he had asked, or if someone had spotted the isolation problem. It is something we should consider.

Recommended Reading: Ercian Testament - Part One, chapter 6 “The Art of Ethical Communication.”