Can You Hear Me Now?

This question probably made Verizon millions during its campaign. It became a mantra and everywhere you turned, you could hear "can you hear me now?" I found this to be an interesting question because the truth of the matter is, the homeless, the disenfranchised, the indigent, the oppressed, the jobless and so many others have asked the same question for years with no answers. Let's see, Vietnam war...no answers; Desert Storm/Desert Shield...no answers; 911...no answers; Hurricanes Katrina/Rita...no answers; Columbine shootings...no answers; Dallas police ambush...no answer; the Branch Davidians...no answers; Get it? Believe me the list of cries goes on and on. Today's young men, could be compared to a child starving for attention, without that attention they lash out the only way they know how. This is quite different, this is not a baby throwing a tantrum and flinging its bottle to the floor. This is not a little boy having a moment and smashing his toy truck with a hammer. It's not a teen spraying graffiti on a concrete wall. This is an out of control young man who now sprays bullets with no respect for loss of life. "Can you hear me now?" The results of this downward spiral is connecting with others who have developed the same mindset or, they are weak enough to become followers. I think we call this a "gang." The dysfunctionality of one family is the offspring of another and now the cycle continues. You and I know where this road leads to! We either have first hand experience or know of a situation where a relative or someone we know has gone down this path. No one comes to mind?

The wife and I was in a store a few days ago when we heard all this commotion in the aisle over from us. As we turned the corner, we got a first hand view of a little fellow about 4 or 5 years of age, smack his mother in the face so hard that is brought tears to her eyes. In her moment of embarrassment, while trying to hold back the tears, she explained, "he's just having a bad day!" We looked at each other shook our heads and as we continued shopping said, "glad he's not ours." Right, wrong, or indifferent this little fellow was acting out. He had no fear, no remorse and it didn't bother him to see his mother in tears! This raises a lot of questions, but the main question is, where did he see this behavior? Was it television, a video game, the neighbors next door, or someone at home? Whatever the case, his behavior left unchecked doesn't go away. This behavior could go dormant for years and one day the little boy is now a teen or a young man and instead of slapping his mother, maybe it's your daughter, or your niece..."can you hear me now?"