We seem to have an outbreak of mental health issues throughout the world. Yelling “allah hu akbar “ is not terrorism, apparently it is a mental health issue. Running in to a shopping centre and stabbing women and babies is not an act of terrorism - it is a terrifying act, but not an act of terrorism. Apparently there is a difference. {sarc}
People murdering others, massacres carried out – mental health issues.
There are people whose brains have been addled by drugs and they have mental health issues. Or addled by religious zealous or fanatical indoctrination. Or addled by greed and the desire for power.
Which makes me wonder if it is time to re open the asylums and get those pesky people who commit terrifying acts ( not acts of terrorism you understand - heaven forbid) off the streets and into the asylum that they seek so much? Because it seems to me that we are turning our nations into gigantic open air mental asylums and we, the citizens and taxpayers, are funding terror.
In our homes, our streets, our shopping centres and our places of worship.
Of course, it is not my intention to make light of the horror of acts of terror or terrorist attacks. Quite the contrary.
It is however, interesting to note that the dictionary definition of terrorist is:
a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aim
Terror, on the other hand, is defined as the use of extreme fear to intimidate people. Note that political aim is not mentioned.
I suppose my point is that I don't really give a bugger what the dictionary says. Terror is an emotion that has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with how a person feels when confronted with extreme stress.
Men, good, brave and decent men, felt terror in the trenches of the Somme. Or on White Island during a volcanic explosion. Or in a shopping centre in Sydney. Or... or... or ... the list goes on. Terror is a " terrible " thing and it matters not a jot if it is as a result of an approaching bushfire, tsunami, or imploding missiles in Israel: Terror is a human reaction to extreme stress.
So when I hear the soothing platitudes of the media and powers that be when they say " It's OK folks. This was not a terror attack " forgive me for being a bit cynical.
When young women were abducted, raped and murdered in Israel on 7th of October, it was a TERROR ATTACK. When a young mentally ill man stabbed a dozen people, including a baby in Sydney, well, guess what? It WAS a TERROR ATTACK.
In my opinion, we have too many lunatics running around in our world today and instead of locking us up for protesting against election fraud, lockdowns and " No Jab? No Job " ... maybe we lock the loonies up? And we can go shopping again in safety and not feel terrified of being stabbed, shot or having our arm chopped off in a home invasion.
You see, all of these bombers, fanatics, murderers, suicide bombers and rapists "appear" to suffer from " mental health issues. "
When I was a little girl, there was a hospital down the road for people who were mentally unwell. There was also another place, for those who were of a more violent persuasion.
For those of the younger readers here, Mental Institutions were a part of life back when I was younger. They were big, normally old imposing buildings that housed folk who were, as Mel Brooks so cleverly said in “ High Anxiety “ places for the terribly, terribly nervous.
The place down the road from me was for those who were nervous but not dangerous. They ran a programme whereby the residents had an active occupational therapy slant. They made soft toys. Back in the days before Chinese imports. These were home made soft toys for children to enjoy and cuddle. It seems to me in retrospect that it was a lovely way for people who were afraid of the world to stay in touch with life : a soft toy made with love by someone who was somehow unable to directly engage anymore.
I suppose these days it would be a care home. Somewhere for the fragile minds damaged by dementia or stress. Somewhere to rest and to stay engaged.
Whatever the reason, these ladies diligently made Teddy Bears and Rabbits and, at the time that I first visited, it was a somber and fearful reminder that if one lost one’s mind, one ended up in the “ Looney bin. “
I was about 10 years old. My young cousin wanted a Teddy Bear and my Mum decided that she would get one and it would be a Bear made by the lady who specialised in such things.
We arrived at the hospital one afternoon, on our way home from school. Mum got out of the car and headed to the administration block to find out how she could acquire one of these precious toys. Within seconds, my brothers and I hit the locks on the car and sat, terrified, alone and fearful of a “looney “ racing out and attacking us.
After what seemed like years, Mum returned. We unlocked the doors and let Mum in. Our protector was back. Mum announced “ Apparently they are making rabbits this week. No one wants to make a Teddy Bear. “
Damn. It meant, that, for the next weeks and months, we would have to visit the " looney bin " and sit in the car and wait until Mum came back and announced that the ladies were back to Bears and off Rabbits.
One day, months later, Mum emerged with a bear in her arms. By this time we were somewhat accustomed to the fear and had ceased to be quite so terrified. But we were glad to finally pull out of that carpark and leave that place for good. The bear was given to my young cousin and she loved that bear.
Our next door neighbour worked as a Nurse at an insane asylum for the terribly terribly terribly nervous. The patients there were incredibly, unbelievably off the chart nervous.
In the “ old “ days, people who suffered from mental illness were popped into homes like these, and, like it or not, we so called normal people managed to avoid being stabbed or ( as children ) frightened by people who were not what we perceived to be normal.
Incidentally, our next door neighbour was killed by a patient who stabbed him with a pair of scissors.
As the decades have passed, mental illness is now not confined to stark and imposing hospitals, buildings that are almost frightening on their own, no matter who resides within.
Our mentally unwell live within our community these days. Apparently to ease their integration and to ensure that they are not ostracised.
Their human rights must of course be protected and even our courts agree. If one pleads " mental health issues " then all is forgiven.
We find these people with mental health issues killing our neighbors, killing our friends and loved ones, raping, bombing and stabbing us and mowing us down with cars.
We even find them in our parliaments and places of governance. We even find them ruling countries.
In fact, it seems to me that the world is one gigantic insane asylum and they are running the place, We are now the inmates being tasked with making teddy bears and taking our medications.
Is it not time to reopen some homes for the terribly terribly nervous and start making some Teddy Bears instead of bombs?
Because we are starting to get terribly terribly nervous. With good reason.
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