As we look at our daily news, it does become overwhelming to listen to the reports that are all around us globally, nationally and locally. We see the devastation of the wars overseas in Ukraine and Russia and now Israel and Iran. We hear about political shootings in Minnesota. We witness the violence in our cities and even in the local news there are stories of murders and other forms of violence that are occurring on a daily basis.
Even those who are reporting on the news of violence internationally are subject to intense threats. There are sirens, alarms, explosions and reports of civilians and families being hit with missiles and drones. It is chilling to think of the fear and extreme emotions that are going on in these regions that are being bombarded. To be in these environments where one does not know what will be coming next is frightening, particularly if you are caring for your children.
We know from the neurological impact of trauma that we now have whole countries living in high threat. Whether you are a national leader or a normal citizen, the fear of death and violence is very real. As alarms sound, buildings collapse, deaths are realized and people are hospitalized from the injuries, there has to be increased levels of high alert that impact how people think, react and feel about their threatening environments. They are living in chronic trauma which will impact their neurology for decades. It is the very definition of post-traumatic stress.
As people respond from a point of high alert (the fight of flight part of the brain) we know that there is a drop in functional IQ, increase in heart rate, more reactionary decision-making and a great deal of cortisol that is dumped into varied parts of the body. This is the nature of trauma which has significant impact to decision-making and stress responses. These cultures are trained for violence which has a chronic and long-standing impact to their stress responses. The trauma triggers are constant and those who are trauma-impacted struggle to cope with their violent environment. They cannot be in a good place to make decisions about their long-term safety.
Even for those viewing all of these events, there is a significant level of impact. We certainly see enough that we can easily become desensitized. We have become accustomed to these violent incidences and have come to expect them on a regular basis. We often fail to become compassionate to those who have had serious family and personal losses. It is never good to expect violence to the point that we attempt to rationalize it away.
Whether hypervigilant, panicked or desensitized, violence is a phenomenon that impacts us all in negative ways. It is such a personal violation that threatens human life and leaves a wake of destruction physically and emotionally to those it impacts. As we witness all the violence that we do each day, we should raise our sense of responsibility to do all we can to oppose these forms of violence since it violates our human dignity and creates legacies of trauma in cultures and communities all around us. It rarely resolves any conflicts and only creates a culture of destructive impact.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
