The Problem of Despair
The Problem of Despair An opioid epidemic so severe that it has literally reduced the average life expectancy of our country. A suicide rate that continues to climb for almost all demographic groups. Children killing each other in schools. Why are these things happening? It’s not as if guns haven’t always been readily available. High school students used to take their guns to school so they could go hunting afterwards. In fact, there are more guns around than ever, and yet gun crime is at its lowest level in many decades. Given these facts, guns cannot be the causal factor. Similarly, suicide has always been an option and opioids have existed for many decades. So what is now going on? Why do so many of our fellow citizens embrace death? Over the last couple of decades something has changed in our culture, in our consciousness, in our circumstance, and how we respond to the world. Given what we are seeing in terms of mass killings, addiction and suicide, it is clear tha...