Another possible solution

                There are many things not right with the world today. We seem to be going to down a path that can’t end well, there is division and polarization absolutely everywhere you turn. Compromise has become the ultimate dirty word, it has come to mean giving up. This just simply cannot be acceptable, this is how we got here and why things seem so bleak.

                The recent protests and the ensuing response to those protests have dominated the news, as well as my own thoughts. It’s easy to take a one side or the other point of view. What is difficult is to take a step back and look at what may have caused the divide. I realize that I’m not exactly in the best position to explain the turmoil, anguish, fear, frustration, even privilege that has been felt during the current conflict. However, I’ve heard some theories on how to help resolve some of the issues. I can’t say I agree with all of them, some are certainly reasonable, and others just don’t seem practical. One thing I have not heard was a focus on mental health.

                I do think that we can all agree that police officers have a very tough job. Even at the best of times when there is no conflict and peace prevails, they will see things that would probably make most of us vomit. Non-crime related things such as car accidents and drug overdoses. To deal with these things obviously takes a special type of person, though I’d have to think that it still takes a toll on these individuals. We expect them to deal with horrifying scenes day in and day out, and still expect empathy for day to day situations. That just doesn’t seem feasible. If you can operate normally at a scene of a dismembered body, you probably have at the least separated your job life from your home life. If you’ve managed to do that, who’s to say that you don’t take that separation and apply that to other parts of the job?

                I’d like to think that a very small starting point to the issues at hand with the protests would be to focus on mental health and communication of our police officers. I don’t wish to get into deeper issues at the moment. I feel that would just shut down any possible communication. The best place to start is communication, and certain ideas/thought points will just shut that down. I’m no expert on mental health and the best ways to deal with issues, but certainly its better to confide in someone/something, than to hold it in and pretend that you are strong and above your feelings.

                I feel that there may be a less intrusive way to achieve some of the reforms that people want, and to not villainize the police. More psych exams, and more therapy. I understand there is going to be push back on this. I’ve heard anecdotes of just how desensitized they have become, to me it feels like it’s a matter of pride amongst them. To have to deal with carnage day in and day out, whether its violent crime or a teenager behind the wheel of a car they clearly shouldn’t have been allowed to drive. It’s important to be able to talk through those scenes. Can we really expect that not to eat at them? To not harden them? To not see attitudes that aren’t there? To maybe realize that anyone who isn’t family is not out to get them?

                I’m not defending the actions that I’ve seen, and there have been hundreds of things that make my gut wrench, but I’d like to think that if they were able to share their experiences with someone who could help them process those experiences, maybe there would be less strife. It would not be easy, it is still a culture change to eliminate that pride and get more of them to talk things through. I just think that there could be more immediate results than trying to change hundreds of years of systemic abuse. Maybe we could cut down on the excessive/unnecessary force, even if the topic of race isn’t addressed.

                There are still far deeper discussions that need to happen on many levels, and they will be. Those deeper discussions have been a long time coming, and I get that there is little to no patience left. I’m merely trying to think of something that may have more immediate impact towards the desired goals. Perhaps this is a non-starter for either side, but it can’t be denied that we as people of this earth need to talk about and confront our feelings. Whether that comes from a higher power, or a professional, or even some random rock that happened to catch our eye.  When you fail to process the things around you, you fail to see life/humanity. If you fail to see life/humanity, what won’t you do?