Mental health: what we choose to do
By Alan Forrest
After the tragic death of innocent children and adults in Connecticut, it is time to take some substantive action to make changes in how our country is going to address the multifaceted issues that result in such horrific acts of violence. Our nation has the tendency to seek quick solutions to complex challenges. It may be valuable to pause for a few moments of contemplation before moving forward and working together to come up with answers.
We must not act from a position of emotional reactivity, but of thoughtful reflection. At the same time, as the president mentioned in his remarks at Newtown, Conn., the time is now to address the issue of violence in our country. We must move from a perceived position of helplessness to action and eventually hopefulness.
Forrest lives in Radford and is a professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Peace Studies Program at Radford University.
December 30, 2012 - 7:28 AM
Also powerful and spot on! The choices are stark and easy to identify. Good luck getting this nation to allocate the resources as needed. This is an age old problem. This too will end in political action that will fail to reach the crux of the matter. Thank you Alan Forrest, for trying!