"Gun violence" - a mental health crisis

Caution: contains discussion on violence that may be upsetting to some readers

Over the last few months, there have been a lot of posts online and reports in the news of violence. CCTV footage of shootings are becoming a common occurrence. The scenes are very disturbing and the language used around them, I feel, pulls us further away from understanding the root causes and therefore the ability to find solutions.

“Gun violence” or “knife crime” are ambiguous terms that place the emphasis on the object and almost suggest that if those items were not available that the violence would not occur. As seen in many of the comments online, people are questioning where the guns are coming from, calling on the police and the army to have a greater presence or advocating for the death penalty. 

It is terrifying that these things are happening on this small island, often in broad daylight but when I see the reports and videos, I see people who are in a huge amount of pain - and I don’t just mean the people whose loved ones have been killed and whose families have been torn apart, I mean the people who are killing and committing violent acts..

In one of the recent CCTV clips, three men exit a car, two of the men proceed to shoot at least one man several times. They then get back in the car and drive away. There is a level of purpose and at the same detachment to their movements. Almost as if they are motivated in their collective aim but removed from their bodies. 

I don’t know the ins and outs of all of these cases but it feels that what is unfolding on our screens, almost on a daily occurrence, is the demonstration of the Wounded masculine and Wounded feminine. Wounded masculine energy is aggressive, reactive and mistrustful, compared to the Divine masculine that exhibits balanced, mature energy which is humble, mindful and secure, with a sense of physical safety. Masculine and feminine energy is present in both men and women in varying degrees. Our early experiences, traumas throughout life, genetics and our environment can help to shape the way in which we can embody the Divine or the Wounded, and to what extent. 

We also live in an environment where it is not the norm for men to be encouraged to explore the Divine masculine and feminine. Little boys are told not to cry or threatened with a lashing if they don’t stop crying. Young men are expected to be the protectors and providers without going through any real rites of passage, and men are rarely given spaces where they can identify or explore their emotional expression. 

The result is fear, self-hate that turns outwards (as we have been witnessing), stunted emotional intelligence, a lack of authenticity and a resistance to spiritual growth. There are essentially children running around in adult bodies with weapons that happen to be guns or knives. The weapons themselves are immaterial. Of course, a gun can cause a lot of harm to more than the intended target, but the “weapon” could easily be a fist, a crow bar or a bat. The acts of violence are symptomatic of a mental health crisis that is plaguing our society. 

Committing murder and acts of violence may be in the extreme but this imbalance of the Divine and the Wounded may manifest in others (all of us) in the form of substance abuse such as alcohol and drugs, eating disorders, or psychosis such as depression or schizophrenia, or all of the above.

Yes, you can find out where the guns are coming from but that will not address the psychological pathways and mental reasoning that led 3 men to orchestrate a murder, drive to the location and open fire in a public place. Yes, you can have more of a police presence on the streets but that may just fuel feelings of a lack of control. Yes, you can advocate for the death penalty but is it not based on the same notion of retribution some of these cases stem from, and still not get to the root cause?

What are the solutions? I don’t know and neither do most politicians it seems. A point I am comfortable with because it allows a shift in the way this issue can be approached. It is not necessarily about governing people, it’s about us connecting with our self-sovereignty and finding pathways of healing so that our emotional wounds are not perpetuated throughout each generation.What feels important is that these events should force us to look inwards and reflect on our roles in society. We need to consider how we raise and support young people, boys and girls, to ensure they are mentally and emotionally prepared to go into this world. As much of the money that goes into policing needs to be invested in ensuring that everyone has access to mental health care, without the stigma that is often attached to it.

The rule book isn’t working. It is dog-eared and tattered, so why can we not explore novel ways of approaching these issues so that our communities are not in a constant cycle of fear, shock, grief?

 I am hopeful.