Sunday, April 22, 2007
I thought of it first. AOL news ran a story yesterday noting that the Virginia Tech gunman was a loner trapped inside himself with a need for friendship. Which is exactly what the prideful Pendragon suggested. Of course, the news media is spinning it as a unique thing. The problem is, our culture actually fosters these kinds of cases. Most of us are not pathologically narcissistic, but we all have that problem to a lesser or greater degree and our culture actually approves of it. Do you know the real message that a billions-per-year psychiatric profession sends to our people? The Pendragon laughed grimly to read that professors at Virginia Tech wish now they had been more forceful in getting the gunman into counseling. It would not have changed a thing. Psychiatry is a symptom of the deeper problem--the idea that each of us is so innately fascinating and worth studying that we need teams of professionals to help us find ourselves. Sure, there's a cure for narcissism: tell the guy he's fascinating. The Pendragon will not, Tom-Cruise-like, tell people not to seek help for depression or other mental disorders, but a culture that places such a high premium not on virtue but on "mental health" is not going to solve the problems that really give rise to loners like the Virginia Tech gunman.
If you don't believe me on the gunman story, try this one on for size: the Pendragon was knocked reeling when a friend of mine recently informed me that there was a girl on the internet claiming to be the mother of a premature baby and asking for gifts and money who turned out to be a fraud! That's right. Someone actually made up a whole story, created a blog to support it, and weasled money and gifts from soft-hearted people. If you had told the Pendragon that there were people on the internet running premature baby scams, I'd have told you you'd been reading too many spy novels. I am sick at heart at the depravity of human beings--that anyone would take advantage of a wonderful community of support like the other mothers of premature babies who bought gifts, sent money and flowers, even held prayer meetings for the life of this little baby who turned out not to exist is simply unconscionable. But there you have it--she was looking out for #1. Our society is sick and no amount of band-aids in the form of stepped-up gun control, more psychiatric counseling, or even bans on violent video ganes is going to change this. The culture needs to be changed from the bottom-up, which means less reliance of individuals, more teaching of responsibility to the whole of society, and a moral foundation based on absolute truth, not on the latest opinion polls. I will not be holding my breath--even Christians shy away from teaching community responsibility--but the more I experience, the more convinced I become that reckless individualism is every bit as great a threat to the moral fabric of society as any we have ever faced. John Jay was right: you will be governed from within by the effects of your conscience and the Holy Spirit or you will be governed from without by the bayonet. A people morally adrift cannot be free to do as they please. You must take your pick.
If you don't believe me on the gunman story, try this one on for size: the Pendragon was knocked reeling when a friend of mine recently informed me that there was a girl on the internet claiming to be the mother of a premature baby and asking for gifts and money who turned out to be a fraud! That's right. Someone actually made up a whole story, created a blog to support it, and weasled money and gifts from soft-hearted people. If you had told the Pendragon that there were people on the internet running premature baby scams, I'd have told you you'd been reading too many spy novels. I am sick at heart at the depravity of human beings--that anyone would take advantage of a wonderful community of support like the other mothers of premature babies who bought gifts, sent money and flowers, even held prayer meetings for the life of this little baby who turned out not to exist is simply unconscionable. But there you have it--she was looking out for #1. Our society is sick and no amount of band-aids in the form of stepped-up gun control, more psychiatric counseling, or even bans on violent video ganes is going to change this. The culture needs to be changed from the bottom-up, which means less reliance of individuals, more teaching of responsibility to the whole of society, and a moral foundation based on absolute truth, not on the latest opinion polls. I will not be holding my breath--even Christians shy away from teaching community responsibility--but the more I experience, the more convinced I become that reckless individualism is every bit as great a threat to the moral fabric of society as any we have ever faced. John Jay was right: you will be governed from within by the effects of your conscience and the Holy Spirit or you will be governed from without by the bayonet. A people morally adrift cannot be free to do as they please. You must take your pick.
// posted by The Pendragon @ 9:25 AM 
