I Alone
In the wake of the tragedy in Las Vegas, where 59 people (including the perpetrator) perished and 489 were maimed, we are once again reminded of the horror of humanity. While I don't intend this post to debate gun control or security, these issues once again come into play as we continue to discuss how this could have happened. My focus on this post is to reexamine the idea of a "lone wolf." A lone wolf stemmed from the idea that one person could potentially cause harm to multiple people using weapons and/or explosives in order to be effective. However, it's been used to describe any terroristic attack by an individual. Unlike a group in which there could be pressure to perform the attack, what could make one person decide to act alone?
The perpetrator, Stephen Paddock, acted alone. While the police have refrained from using the term "terrorist," the act that this man committed was terrorism. He has perpetuated the idea that one is never safe in a public place, and that normal day-to-day activities could be an opportunity to harm others. The reasons behind any terrorist attack range from extreme beliefs (in a movement, religion, cult or protest) to obsession. In this attack, the motive hasn't been identified yet, and investigators are attempting to piece together his personal history and health in order to make a determination. While I am not a detective, nor would I place bets on anything, his mixture of drugs and alcohol will most likely be behind his state of mind and reasoning.
However, when I read through what was released about his personal history, one thing stuck out for me: his lack of solid relationships in his life. While he grew up with a mother and siblings, was married twice and had a current girlfriend, there was a constant reference to his life as a someone who "kept to himself" and "barely went outside." He led a normal working life, made smart investments in real estate and chose to spend his money in gambling and vacation, but it was all in a veil of seclusion. Despite occasional outings, it's very easy to stay excluded from society as a whole and choose to be loner. It's easy enough to slip into that lifestyle, and the less you interact with others, the less you want to be bothered. If you're not interacting and forming interpersonal relationships, that's when a part of you loses self-identify and self-worth in the world. How can you exist if there isn't someone to validate your connection to the world? Depression alters the mind in a way that even drugs cannot cure.
Does that mean that all loners are terrorists? Absolutely not. It's easier, though, to attract someone to a movement or religion who feels hopeless and helpless in the world. If you're satisfied with your surroundings, connect with people who inspire and encourage your well-being and seek challenges and adventures to fill your life, why would you consider throwing it away? It has nothing to do with money (although it helps). When someone feels like s/he doesn't matter, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle.
That's why it's more important to realize that this tragedy although it isn't a concrete lesson on mental illness or gun policy. It's understanding the importance of interpersonal relationships in human development, and why movements of hatred feed on those who are lonely and excluded.
The perpetrator, Stephen Paddock, acted alone. While the police have refrained from using the term "terrorist," the act that this man committed was terrorism. He has perpetuated the idea that one is never safe in a public place, and that normal day-to-day activities could be an opportunity to harm others. The reasons behind any terrorist attack range from extreme beliefs (in a movement, religion, cult or protest) to obsession. In this attack, the motive hasn't been identified yet, and investigators are attempting to piece together his personal history and health in order to make a determination. While I am not a detective, nor would I place bets on anything, his mixture of drugs and alcohol will most likely be behind his state of mind and reasoning.
However, when I read through what was released about his personal history, one thing stuck out for me: his lack of solid relationships in his life. While he grew up with a mother and siblings, was married twice and had a current girlfriend, there was a constant reference to his life as a someone who "kept to himself" and "barely went outside." He led a normal working life, made smart investments in real estate and chose to spend his money in gambling and vacation, but it was all in a veil of seclusion. Despite occasional outings, it's very easy to stay excluded from society as a whole and choose to be loner. It's easy enough to slip into that lifestyle, and the less you interact with others, the less you want to be bothered. If you're not interacting and forming interpersonal relationships, that's when a part of you loses self-identify and self-worth in the world. How can you exist if there isn't someone to validate your connection to the world? Depression alters the mind in a way that even drugs cannot cure.
Does that mean that all loners are terrorists? Absolutely not. It's easier, though, to attract someone to a movement or religion who feels hopeless and helpless in the world. If you're satisfied with your surroundings, connect with people who inspire and encourage your well-being and seek challenges and adventures to fill your life, why would you consider throwing it away? It has nothing to do with money (although it helps). When someone feels like s/he doesn't matter, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle.
That's why it's more important to realize that this tragedy although it isn't a concrete lesson on mental illness or gun policy. It's understanding the importance of interpersonal relationships in human development, and why movements of hatred feed on those who are lonely and excluded.
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