A lot of finger pointing these days about who or what is to blame for the mass shooting epidemic that has skyrocketed in the past several years. Just like the rising incidence of severe weather events, the rising incidence of mass shootings is not a conspiracy theory:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/mass-shootings-mother-jones-full-data/
Nevertheless, I will leave aside the raging gun control debate, because one side is convinced it will solve everything, and the other side is convinced it will solve nothing. Both sides are wrong.
Getting past guns, there is plenty wrong to find in this current toxic waste dump that is contributing to this epidemic.
First and foremost, denial itself plays a major role. The constant obligation on social media and elsewhere to pretend the status quo is working. To put on the smiley face. Too many people now believe that the American Dream is for everyone else, and not for them. Which causes cognitive dissonance. Forced to believe something that goes against everything we are personally experiencing.
"This is the greatest economy in our lifetimes"
It just happens to feature the most debt, the lowest wages, the worst benefits, and the least upward mobility.
Which gets to the next point, the American Dream is now the American nightmare. Since the advent of low interest rates following 2008, U.S. workers are constantly tempted to borrow more "free" money, in order to rent the consumption-oriented lifestyle. Meanwhile, real wages and real cost of living are diverging constantly. Most people are constantly stressed out over money and finances in order to keep up with the Joneses.
Then get to the overriding cult of self-interest and culture of ubiquitous narcissism which has been weaponized on social media and iphones. This is a society that is socially isolated and increasingly dehumanized, relying on technology as a proxy for human companionship. Now featuring sex robots for those who would rather have sex with a fake looking piece of plastic than go out and meet someone. After all, the robot doesn't demand any time and attention that might take away from video games and binge drinking. Psychologists refer to these corporate-engineered devices as "super-stimuli", as in things that don't exist in nature but are engineered to prey upon our natural impulses.
Then of course there is frankenfood and the various forms of self-medication now on offer. I notice at the liquor store I can buy moonshine at the checkout as a chaser for my double-hopped IPA at 12% alcohol. So many ways to kill myself and so little time. Researchers are now pointing to the mind-gut axis as a source/solution for anxiety and depression:
National Institutes of Health:
Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders
"The bidirectional communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, the so-called “brain–gut axis,” is based on a complex system, including the vagus nerve"
The brain–gut axis is becoming increasingly important as a therapeutic target for gastrointestinal and psychiatric disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (3), depression (4), and posttraumatic stress disorder"
The gut microbiota is the potential key modulator of the immune (120) and the nervous systems (121). Targeting it could lead to a greater improvement in the emotional symptoms of patients suffering from depression or anxiety. There is growing evidence that nutritional components, such as probiotics (122, 123), gluten (124), as well as drugs, such as anti-oxidative agents (125) and antibiotics (126), have a high impact on vagus nerve activity through the interaction with the gut microbiota"
Needless to say, the modern diet is not conducive to quality mind-gut interaction.
All of which points to the anti-zen characteristics of the modern lifestyle. Instead of improving focus and inner peace, the modern devices all contribute to an ever-greater sense of anxiety, attention deficit, paranoia, and overall depression.
What is most interesting is that all of the above is controllable by the individual at large. And yet everyone believes this is a societal problem. So much easier than looking in the mirror.
