Watch Out For The Bad Kids Who May Not Appear So

A young man and his mother are dead. The killer, another young man that the son had befriended. The murderer declared that a, “Voice in [his] head told him to do it.”

A lot of times you are at home and afraid to venture out. And at night, you check every joint of the home to make sure that you and your family are sleeping in security. What about when the criminal is a friend? What about when the criminal is inside?

The murdered individuals here appear to be from a normal modern family environment. There is no mention of a father, but the mother is in her early fifties and a nurse at an area hospital, and her son is a twenty-year-old. These people were very likely having a-okay-life. Then there was this other young man who penetrated their home and sat at their dining table. One night, he shot both dead. He destroyed this seemingly normal life.

Watch who is coming to dinner. We are not supposed to be prejudiced. Yet, this makes you wonder what level of precautionary measures you must consider vis-à-vis people coming into your home. The young murderer proclaimed that voices in his head had caused him to act so cruelly. This is a very critical aspect to consider. Usually, we look at people in term of race, religion, social rank, and the like. Particularly, these days in our ghettos, we want to stay away from the young kids with ‘nasty’ dreaded hairs, dropped down pants, and those plated teeth. We usually think that they would mug us. Which, they often do.

The young man with this “devil” inside his brain that would tell him to kill his benefactors is usually overlooked. Such kids most often do not fit the profile of terror in their appearances. You would have to go inside their brains; which people often ignore even when the signals are clear. Then you end up with this kid killing his friend and his mother. And, you have the shootings in the schools, in the shopping malls, and in any place where there is a mass of people.

Such kids are often more menacing to most of us, since they often appear to be no threat, and we pay no attention. And, they most of the times inflict greater scale of damage. They are difficult and even almost impossible to discover beforehand. They are among us. They are often no different from us. Most of the times they possess no distinct characteristics like our kids in the ghettos. So, we intermingle with them, and go about our business - until they strike. It is at that point, and only then that we know we had such a danger lurking around. It is too late. The worst has already happened. The damage is already done.

What can we do? Watch out for the unusual signs. Normal kids usually conduct themselves as good young citizens. They listen and follow their parents, their teachers, and other positive figures, and do what is right. In addition, they would concentrate on productive, positive, and optimistic matters. Kids with problems are often not so mentally stable. They may not be so respective of their parents and their teachers; they may not be so productive; and, they may be occupied with issues of illusion. Our best bet is to watch out for signs of stability, when allowing certain kids in our homes.  

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter

Break Barriers And Be Happier

Generally, the human being is limited in his ability to develop and satisfy his own existence.  There is a song that says, “Life is what you make it.” Most people are often not living to their maximum potentials. What is the reason for that? We are often tied up by certain obstacles, whether natural or societal, that limit us from developing our full potential for happiness. Although law and order, rules and regulations, and morality and ethics are important and sometimes even mandatory in our daily lives, we sometimes have to learn to break the unnecessary boundaries that have often kept us from living to our fullest extent.

We come into existence, limited and bounded by nature, society, government, religion, family, and more. As children, we are totally dependent upon our parents and others for even remaining alive. We develop with all these restraints and become adults. Most of us tend to remain attached to them until the end of our days. And, many times they are keeping us from fulfilling our best lives. Our goal is to break away from the barriers and go on to live a full and happy life.

Escape the Common Obstacles

It is our life. We have to live it. In order to live fully, we must navigate with agility within the rims of the following five most common obstacles to human liberty:  Nature, Society, Government, Religion,  Family.

Beware of Nature

Nature is our best friend. In fact, nature is our mother. Likewise, nature is our worst enemy. The human being comes into nature helplessly. Without assistance from others, a child would not remain in existence more than a little while. This odd relationship with nature composes the first restriction in our lives that we must break. Nature restricts us in one place; we are born into a certain family, in a nation, and within a specific geographic area. Often, we feel that we can never win our liberty from this natural phenomenon which sometimes renders us very unhappy. Certain measures we could take against this bizarre relationship:

We must learn to break the ties – Since the beginning of their existence, the human beings have been battling nature for freedom. We have moved from the rudiments of the cave, to the luxuriousness of palaces today. We as individuals have simply to recognize that we are free to explore, experiment, and do whatever is right to live fully and happily.

Stretch out and touch the world – Individuals today are no longer members of their own small nations alone. Technologies have brought us together in what we may call a “mega society.” We no longer have to sit in the little corner where nature placed us and be unhappy. We have the option to reach out into the greater world’s environment and benefit from its resources.

Get up and go – This is our world. Christopher Columbus left us a great lesson. He and his men traveled across the Atlantic and landed in an unknown place. Today, we could do better. People could simply jump on an airplane and go across the world. Still, you find other people who risk their lives with small boats across miles of ocean, and others walk miles of land to gain a better life. If you are not happy where you are, you always have the option to try some other place.

Society and Government

Rid yourself of certain societal norms – We understand that our societal nature has ameliorated our condition. Yet, when it comes time to break away from certain cumbersome ways of our society, do not be afraid to do it. This is your life. If it makes you happy and it is right, go for it.

Watch out for the government – Not all laws, and rules and regulations, are right all the times. Nobody should do anything illegal. If you consider the government is wrong in some way, you may consider protesting. Why not even go into politics to challenge things?

 Always do the right thing – Nobody ever wants to break any laws. As a citizen, you could always run to the justice system, but don’t do anything illegal.

Religion Is Always a Conflict

Do not be disturbed – Since the dawn of our days, religion has been a controversial topic. Never allow it to be a problem for you. It would never go away.

Choose carefully – You have the option to choose your way of living. If you are going to choose a certain religion, make sure to choose something that you think you like and you would be happy with. You could always change, if you need to. It is only to consider that some other ideology better fits what you consider your next life to be.

 If you are an unbeliever, that’s okay – If unbelieving is what makes you happy in this life, why not? It is your life.

The Family Is the Backbone of Your Life

Love and respect – This doctrine is one of the primary means to a happy life. Our family is the one that has generally been there for us all along. Always give them the exceptional love and respect that it deserves.

Do not be too attached to the family. Yes, we love, respect, and honor our family. But, we must also recognize that we have a life of our own. We cannot substitute that of our family for ours. That means, at times, we must live and let go.

Move away from the general norms of the family. When we are born into a family, we tend to live according to its ways. We should strive to break away from the family setting as we gain maturity.

Those are some of the common barriers to our happy existence. By trying some of these measures, one would certainly experience a more rewarded life.

E.C. Granmoun is the author of "The Social Worker" ebook on amazon.com 
Join E.C. Granmoun on Facebook and Twitter