Mind Games

The Grand Rapids Times
Adult's Walk
By Marcel Gamble

This week I want to share with you all a conversation that I had with someone that’s very close to me.

This other person and I had a discussion about people who are labeled as being mentally insane.

Here are my thoughts after our conversation.

Usually those who are identified as being mentally or criminally insane are adulterated by their past.

In other words, these are individuals who have had rough childhoods — people who weren’t as fortunate to have caring parents or at least one caring parent.

It’s unfortunate, but those who have the status as mentally insane route from dangerous environments.

If all of the above is true, how many people could America have saved?

How many more doctors or lawyers could our country have instead of mass murderers? I ask these questions because the reasoning for the thousands of individuals that are labeled as being mentally or criminally insane has a cause. Could the cause be America turning its back on those that are on and below the poverty line?

Or could the cause be that America is giving to much aide to those that are on and below the poverty line; which provides comfort ability? Could the cause be the thousands of young fathers neglecting their responsibilities as a man?

Or maybe the cause could be the thousands of young mothers that continue to have baby after baby to continue to receive the benefits from government assistance?

Many of the mentioned conditions above occur in urban minority communities.

What does this say about the thousands of people who are being labeled as being mentally insane?

Granted, there are the rare cases that we can’t prevent.

However, there are the thousands of cases that we can prevent.

Furthermore, I’m not saying that a person has to be the richest person in the world to provide for their child.

I’m saying that everyone is a least rich enough to provide love.

I’m not saying that everyone was fortunate enough to be raised on helpful values and principles.

I’m saying just don’t perpetuate the cycle by passing the same values down to your children, begin a new cycle.

To my peers, we have to realize that we all have to fight harder to show others that we aren’t products of our backgrounds growing up.

We have the assignment to depict that we are so much more.

This goes further than the mentally/criminally insane issue.

This enters the schools, the churches, and the work force.

One for the week:
Deuteronomy 7:13 - He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.