Re: Random thoughts
my random thoughts on it....
I'm unsure if it was truly mental illness or was he severely misguided and the result of bad/neglectful parenting and/or a combination of all of that? Some would argue the ability to inflict physical harm on yourself and/or others is in itself mental illness. Playing video games at the onset of puberty combined with sensed rejection and isolation from others couldn't really create the needs/wants he had to inflict suffering & death, but he couldn't know what no one ever told him and he couldn't figure out for himself to look inside rather than at others for the reasons his needs weren't being met.
I watched his video and felt so sad he had such severely warped & diabolical thinking patterns, way overinflated ego, lots of issues were obvious... I was struck by the abundant statuesque palm trees photo-bombing his hate-filled video from the windows of his BMW and thought "OMG, this is so twisted." He was seeing a therapist -obviously not a very competent one. It was probably an accumulation of lifelong issues & missed opportunities to change his perception. His crimes being so brutal [using a knife, car, a gun] leads to the conclusion of illness, absolutely. He was living a perceived hell on earth, yet was privileged and spoiled with comforts, living in an environment full of beauty and wonder, he was severely blind in a way.
The ability to throw hot coffee on anyone in an attempt to inflict harm and make himself feel better was a huge red flag that was ignored. You don't get someone like that to a therapist, you put them in the hospital involuntarily in my humble opinion. How engrossed he was in his own environment, his upbringing, and his own mind -all together created a sickness. People need a variety of input, influences, to expand their awareness of themselves and also a variety of experiences, not always sheltered ones in front of a computer or nearby in their own neighborhoods.
My eldest teen just yesterday came home from school distraught over some boy, sobbing, screaming at times "I can't take it anymore" and she was so upset she wanted to call off her job & stay in bed in her dark, cozy room. I insisted she go to work to "get out of her own mind" I told her & because she had that commitment & should respect her employment. She was so ticked off at me, wouldn't speak or look at me, she felt very angry. But when she got home last night she said "You were right, I felt so much better being out at work, I realized there's a huge world out there and most people are really nice and happily living their lives. I was feeling so hurt/angry over really nothing. I see things differently now."
Over-indulging a kid and hoping they work things out for themselves, buy them cars, internet, & therapy when they can't be happy is really neglectful parenting I think. As our world gets more and more animated, computerized, isolated, it's so easy to let technology or even education be the most prominent influences, but kids need people, real people, vast/varied experiences, other's perspectives/input, changes in environment, they need to be taught respect for nature, for all things alive, how to nurture themselves/their souls, and how to express discomfort in a way that helps them. Rodgers was so lost inside his mind & warped perception of love... he was just so lost in it. To allow his brain engrossed day after day in violence of World of Warcraft is complete absurdity. (I don't even know what that game is, but based on the title.) How different would he have been had he had to work, had to serve those less fortunate than him, had been forced outside of himself & his CA environment of wealth and beauty? He missed a whole, wide world that had so much to offer him and he stole that from so many.
His life/death and the lives/death of those he killed/injured hopefully will teach/expand people in new & better ways. I know it has all influenced me. If he'd become engrossed in music rather than World of Warcraft, maybe we wouldn't even be posting about him at all!!
I saw this yesterday and thought of Rodgers: [She once got an email from a girl who watched her conduct a Brahms symphony. "She wrote, 'I am a gang member, and I have never gone to a symphony concert before, and I have never felt anything before. I have never felt any emotion before, anything nice about anyone.' She said, 'But this music touched my soul.' " ] from this article....
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2014/05/27/316344160/how-do-you-get-latino-kids-into-classical-music-bring-the-parents
my random thoughts on it....
I'm unsure if it was truly mental illness or was he severely misguided and the result of bad/neglectful parenting and/or a combination of all of that? Some would argue the ability to inflict physical harm on yourself and/or others is in itself mental illness. Playing video games at the onset of puberty combined with sensed rejection and isolation from others couldn't really create the needs/wants he had to inflict suffering & death, but he couldn't know what no one ever told him and he couldn't figure out for himself to look inside rather than at others for the reasons his needs weren't being met.
I watched his video and felt so sad he had such severely warped & diabolical thinking patterns, way overinflated ego, lots of issues were obvious... I was struck by the abundant statuesque palm trees photo-bombing his hate-filled video from the windows of his BMW and thought "OMG, this is so twisted." He was seeing a therapist -obviously not a very competent one. It was probably an accumulation of lifelong issues & missed opportunities to change his perception. His crimes being so brutal [using a knife, car, a gun] leads to the conclusion of illness, absolutely. He was living a perceived hell on earth, yet was privileged and spoiled with comforts, living in an environment full of beauty and wonder, he was severely blind in a way.
The ability to throw hot coffee on anyone in an attempt to inflict harm and make himself feel better was a huge red flag that was ignored. You don't get someone like that to a therapist, you put them in the hospital involuntarily in my humble opinion. How engrossed he was in his own environment, his upbringing, and his own mind -all together created a sickness. People need a variety of input, influences, to expand their awareness of themselves and also a variety of experiences, not always sheltered ones in front of a computer or nearby in their own neighborhoods.
My eldest teen just yesterday came home from school distraught over some boy, sobbing, screaming at times "I can't take it anymore" and she was so upset she wanted to call off her job & stay in bed in her dark, cozy room. I insisted she go to work to "get out of her own mind" I told her & because she had that commitment & should respect her employment. She was so ticked off at me, wouldn't speak or look at me, she felt very angry. But when she got home last night she said "You were right, I felt so much better being out at work, I realized there's a huge world out there and most people are really nice and happily living their lives. I was feeling so hurt/angry over really nothing. I see things differently now."
Over-indulging a kid and hoping they work things out for themselves, buy them cars, internet, & therapy when they can't be happy is really neglectful parenting I think. As our world gets more and more animated, computerized, isolated, it's so easy to let technology or even education be the most prominent influences, but kids need people, real people, vast/varied experiences, other's perspectives/input, changes in environment, they need to be taught respect for nature, for all things alive, how to nurture themselves/their souls, and how to express discomfort in a way that helps them. Rodgers was so lost inside his mind & warped perception of love... he was just so lost in it. To allow his brain engrossed day after day in violence of World of Warcraft is complete absurdity. (I don't even know what that game is, but based on the title.) How different would he have been had he had to work, had to serve those less fortunate than him, had been forced outside of himself & his CA environment of wealth and beauty? He missed a whole, wide world that had so much to offer him and he stole that from so many.
His life/death and the lives/death of those he killed/injured hopefully will teach/expand people in new & better ways. I know it has all influenced me. If he'd become engrossed in music rather than World of Warcraft, maybe we wouldn't even be posting about him at all!!
I saw this yesterday and thought of Rodgers: [She once got an email from a girl who watched her conduct a Brahms symphony. "She wrote, 'I am a gang member, and I have never gone to a symphony concert before, and I have never felt anything before. I have never felt any emotion before, anything nice about anyone.' She said, 'But this music touched my soul.' " ] from this article....
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2014/05/27/316344160/how-do-you-get-latino-kids-into-classical-music-bring-the-parents
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