We assume most people are inherently good. But while that cliché is out there, the boldness of some to gun down police officers and children seems to diminish its truth.

Two things are evident from these very different scene types.

With each law enforcement death, the nation should be alarmed as a piece of our security and public safety is challenged. When peacekeepers are murdered, it should shock your conscience every time. Not only does the violence set an ominous tone for our civility and social health, the acts obviously disregard human life. It seems the suspects do it effortlessly, like taking a human life is no different than a misdemeanor such as petty theft or an act of vandalism.

Children are innocents. When they are treated as targets, the shootings send a clear message about our social health as well. It cuts deeper into our wounds. Although it resounds of unfathomable actions, it paints a clear picture of a severe national problem we should be addressing: families.

Suspect typologies give us insight into social problems…

Most often the school shooters are younger and may or may not have attended the establishment they attacked. It is easier to peg this on mental illness, which in some cases the suspects are disconnected combined with a mental illness. However, in many cases, they are not or have never been diagnosed. They might lack coping skills and never seemed to overcome adversity without someone taking care of it or resorting to violent outbursts. The act of violence against a student and faculty population is planned and premeditated.

So, are those persons who ambush police and murder children disconnected or are they driven by hate? Is it both?

These are two very different suspectologies, but they have something in common: some sort of disconnection and evil. We must recognize that evil does exist in many forms, some easily recognizable and some hidden. There are also various extents of each. These are mean people but not just mean- they have a serious malfunction.

Disconnection comes from several things. There is no “one and done” explanation. There are many forms of disconnection where some are displayed outward and some are internalized. The disconnection we see in school shooters is far more extreme.

I could propose a far-out theory that disconnected persons live in their head and have become estranged with everything and everyone around them. Compound this theory with social alienation pointing a finger back at them. They become isolated even if they have family and friends.

How did this happen? It was partly their choice and the choice of those inside their influence circle. Factors could include but are not limited to: home life, lack of social skills, interpersonal interactions (somewhat negatively impacting the individual), technology and internet contexts, exposure to various violent images on television, video games, and media content formed desensitized emotions.

Think about it, some of this cognitive disconnection happens to cops with repetitive exposure to human misery. What saves most cops? They sacrifice a piece of themselves for others, but they have a strong social network to keep them grounded. They also formed good coping skills as an adolescent.

This is absent in disconnected youth where intervention is weakly attempted but usually results in further isolation by punishments such as suspensions and expelling actions. I am not saying those actions are not necessary, but there is no aftercare or treatment.

Police officers could have told you about this social freight train nightmare which was brewing 20 years ago. Yet, our observations have been dismissed because we are just cops. What do we know, right?

Society is just reaping these “rewards” from the past snowball effects of broken families and bad parenting, plus a shift in lessening authority in schools. Now, not one, but all of those important variables are powerless.

There is a change of tone in America.

Why should there be a rise to a special awareness about police deaths and school shootings although they are two different tragedies? Should we disregard all other homicides as business as usual? No.

But there is a change of tone. The social changes signal intramural reflections of our country. A soldier’s death is not recognized as front page news unless it was lumped in with some political hot point or a mass casualty. Even then, circumstances might shove it down from the headline. I hear people say, “Well, it’s expected. It’s a risk of the job.” The same is heard of law enforcement officers killed.

This is what is wrong with things. We have all become desensitized.

This violence and the lackadaisical efforts to fix it should set a national tone of fear in many citizens. A majority of fixes are in our homes where we are terrible at being parents and guardians. No one likes to do any self-reflection on a national problem and see themselves as a catalyst for a growing social decline.

Our kids should never have to barricade themselves in a building and fight for their lives when they are supposed to be getting an education. But here we are. We have let things slide too far and our nation is at risk for further destruction. Never mind worrying about foreign threats- we are imploding ourselves.

School shootings bring an even more alarming perspective to light about our youth and future forecast. These homicidal acts crush my soul. Perhaps some of that comes from being a parent, but even if I was not one, it would have profound effects on me.

The street-level war is evident by police deaths…

My position on LEO deaths comes from the thought that when we challenge law enforcement to the point of murderous actions, we have lost our civil order and the moral train is chugging toward bankruptcy. Maybe it is already at the bottom. Police are peacekeepers intended to shield us from evil and protect our public safety. The suspects are desperate. Using extreme perceptions, the ambushes and attacks on cops resemble actions occurring within a failed state. The street level has turned into a very different place.

I really do not know how to address the issue of LEO deaths without rage and sadness. Although I do not personally know them, the emotion I feel when I see a notification on either type of incident is personal.

Some social media posts cheer the officer losses which really makes my blood boil. These usually consist of Facebook profiles manned by criminals and anti-government types. But, they are the exception to the rule of law and such heathen displays should not be surprising.

However, on the flip side, many law-abiding people are remiss about the state of aggression being observed. I do not mean we should stop living and carry all people’s burdens. However, do you take a moment to reflect on the meaning of a law enforcement death stemming from civilian hostility and belligerence? Why doesn’t it bother you?

Perhaps these law-abiding individuals are too distant from the incident. Is it because of the common perspective that police have dangerous jobs and know what they are getting into, so they are expendable? I think this is a somewhat popular perception, although I think it is a twisted view of reality. If we have come to this point where enforcement officials are disposable, we have lost much of our souls.

As a country based on democracy with law and order, should we be gauging for a revolution? The police are not your enemy. They are here to keep the peace. Law enforcement officers stand against evil, so you do not have to.

There should be a movement across this country to bring us together to position ourselves against those who bring disorder. Yet, we give it a pass. In fact, I have heard words from some who say, “Individuals have a right to be angry, to rise up against the government and our local law enforcement. Then maybe we will have change.” I am sure many of us have heard someone say, “They know what they are getting into. Police deaths are expected in that line of work.”

This stance pretty much sends my mind down the crazy train. So, what I am hearing from the likes of these folks is that they favor a civil war. In fact, these are not individuals who take up arms for social change or who are killing our police. They are just Joe Blow Citizens who seem fed up with whatever politics got them upset that day.

Who would defend these murderers? Most of these suspects are criminals who have no moral compass and regularly engage in criminal activity. It is perplexing to try to comprehend some of the logic out there.

We created these monsters.

That’s right. I said it. Before you push the blame on something or someone else, look in the mirror.

When students are murdered on school grounds, we rally as a nation against these disasters, but it is short lived. Soon, we go back to feeling comfortable in our lives and no positive action took place to reverse the underlying issues. Social media blitzes fill up our news feed of things people want to see the change which makes them feel good. Yet, we have not formulated a plan to take action where it matters. Nor have they thought out reasonable implementation of their ideas or how it will be enforced. People dismiss the simple “right now” fix where it can make a difference right now: our homes.

What we do not want to admit is that our youth are a reflection of us. Our lawlessness is a measure of how far we have let things slide with tolerance and lack of intervention, treatment, or action.

These school slayings should send a message to us that we need to get our house in order.

The Social Bomb Theory

We need to circle the wagons and take a hard look at our own communities.

Let’s put it into a perspective we might all be able to relate to The Social Bomb Theory. These human ingredients – evil and disconnection – are going to build in our communities if the world continues on the same line. In fact, I would propose it would increase exponentially as technology advances and we get busier.

Technology is produced at such a rapid pace that it runs over us like a freight train. But we can control some elements at the nurturing level and with an enforcement action after the fact.

The old tried and true will continue if we stay on this slippery path without taking a hard-line look at this issue. You can guarantee these homicides will escalate. Police officers will die. Children and innocents will perish in unspeakable acts. These suspects will continue to fester in our broken society.

These are “social bombs” waiting to ignite if we do not act now.

A certain respect for humanity, morals, our Constitution, rights of others, and the basic civility and regard to laws of the land are deteriorating right before our eyes. Instead of upholding order, there is a move to engage it at the street level. Police deaths are nothing to file as a duty. It is a signal of social decay.

When our youth cannot cope and feel they have been wronged, they take extreme measures of revenge. Righteousness is not even a thought when someone guns down a school full of innocents.

Do not poo-poo how important a person’s home life is to their future self.

Schools are a second important ecosystem where institutional influences impact our youth. Our environments shape us into the individuals we become. It is so clear there is a deterioration of nuclear family values and lack of stable function in our country. Who could argue otherwise?

We can teach back our values. Participation is key. We must participate at home and our community. Furthermore, we should heed the warning signs of those dangerous and on the brink of self-destruction.

Social failure is a dangerous threat to our daily enjoyment of life. Yours and mine. It is here we could make a difference and shift our national well-being. We must start with ourselves. We can always do better.