9/11/14 Special Edition: 9/11 and Terrorism: Are We Winning Battles But Losing The War?

Thought for the Day: Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of 9/11. I had planned to write this post, but spent most of the morning watching the Memorial Services instead.  On 9/11 over the years, I have often felt the need to turn off the television and reflect privately on the events of 9/11,  but this year I felt compelled to watch  the powerful images of grief, resilience and rebuilding that the families, New York and our nation have made. I could not help thinking about the recent attacks by ISIS on innocent American journalists and Arabs who disagree with ISIS'  beliefs. President Obama's announcement of a strategy in the eradication of ISIS was also running through my mind. We all owe the people who lost their lives and their families to make every effort possible to win the complicated battle against terrorism.

    As a psychologist with expertise in trauma, resilience and conflict resolution, I also feel an obligation to examine this challenge from a psychological point of view. This post is in no way comprehensive, but I hope it will raise questions and help you come up with ideas that you will share to help find creative ways to resolve this important dilemma which threatens the civilized world.

Memorial Day Monday: What You Can Do If You Are Angry About the War Raging in Our Streets?

Thought for the Day: This Memorial Day weekend, I am angry and I need your help. Those of you following my blog know that I have been voicing my concerns and offering suggestions of ways to help prevent the senseless loss of life from gun violence in our country. In January of 2013, after the Sandy Hook Tragedy, I wrote a letter to President Obama outlining my concerns along with creative ways to implement educational and psychological programs nationwide. Sadly, the violence has continued since then. This Memorial Day weekend began with yet another attack at the University of California in Santa Barbara. I watched in horror and sadness as the details of senseless loss of life unfolded. Unfortunately, we are living with not only a war waged by terrorists against our nation, but we are also under attack from within by angry, hurt, young adults who feel marginalized and mistreated by society.

I was also saddened to learn that my grandmother's nephew,  Herb Crane, a World War II veteran, passed away at the age of 95 two days ago. He lived a full active life. He even drove to the gym daily while in hospice care. (The article was written and aired before he passed away.) I want everyone in our nation to have the opportunity to live their lives, like Herb, to the fullest without fear of violent attacks in schools, colleges, shopping malls or movie theaters. I need your help. If you are angry, like me, and want to be part of the solution, read on on to see how you can take action...

#FF Friday's Fabulous Finds: Coping With Traumatic Events in Boston

 

Thought for the Day: After the events in Boston this week, one could easily lose complete faith in humanity. In spite of the gravity of the events, here are some articles to remind you that most people are good. Hopefully, these finds will help you cope with all the difficult news & build resillience. You will be able to learn about the psychology of terrorism, read a moving story, & more. As I prepare this post, CNN is reporting the capture & death of one of the terrorists & a massive manhunt in Boston for the 2nd terrorist. To those of you in the Boston area, stay safe in your homes knowing that an army of police are working to keep you safe & the world is watching, hoping for the speedy conclusion of these stressful events.

The first find,  The Boston Marathon is Everything That's Right with the World, focuses on how the Marathon depicts the magnitude of the human spirit, in the face of countless negative news reports about the explosion. As the author, Katie Lannan, describes it: “It’s a 26.2-mile chain reaction of support, & today it stretched longer than it ever has before, when a collaborative spreadsheet cropped up, full of Bostonians offering lodging to stranded strangers, when exhausted marathoners reportedly kept going until they reached Mass General & could donate blood, when the Red Cross announced they’d met their need after only a handful of hours.”

In Resilience, coping, and faith: How our beliefs help us during hard times, the 2nd find, coping

strategies are examined. Focusing on the breaking news following tragic events is one way of trying to understand traumatic events. This article gives some tips on other ways to cope.

In the third find, Psychology of Terrorism, John Grohol, PsyD, CEO of website PsychCentral, describes why terrorism occurs. Obviously, this is one of our less uplifting pieces, but understanding the psychology behind terrorism may help us make sense of the Boston Marathon tragedy & find ways to reduce terrorism.

People Are Good, After All, our fourth find, provides research results that support the belief that people's "first impulses are selfless." The author, Adrian F. Ward, put it well: “If human nature is simply the way we tend to act based on our intuitive and automatic impulses, then it seems that we are an overwhelmingly cooperative species, willing to give for the good of the group even when it comes at our own personal expense.

My fifth fabulous find, Shattered Glass, written by educator, parent, LICSW & consultant, Margie Bogdanow, (who also happens to be my sister-in-law) recounts a true Bostonian’s agony in discovering the acts of terrorism against her beloved hometown. She recommends that we react to this hardship through “caring for one another, by continuing to find the good in one another, by smiling at strangers, by helping those in our midst who need it – today & everyday, by holding our families close, by listening to our children, by finding creative & constructive ways to express our angst & anger, & most importantly, by each of us continuing to do whatever we can possibly do to make this world a better place.”