Men's hearts failing them


laronius
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In the Book of Mormon, following traumatic experiences like war, we often see a polarization among the people. Either they are more humble or more hard hearted. I work in the tax industry so much of it is very seasonal. As a result I interacted with a lot of people pre-covid or just at the onset and then a gap in time and now again for the past 5 months. Of course it was part of the conversation with many of my clients and it was interesting to see people's response. But one thing that has stuck out to me is the dramatic uptick in the number of people who became verbally abusive, especially towards female employees. It's normal for people to get upset, especially when dealing with everyone's favorite pastime, taxes. But it was almost a weekly occurrence with people yelling some very strong obscenities at employees and that is something that just hasn't happened in the past. As a result we are implementing a zero tolerance policy when it comes to this but I am still concerned about what it means for society. Of course we see a lot of commotion in society in general but I was wondering if anyone else has seen a change in people over the last year?

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Everything from violent crimes to domestic abuse to substance abuse to mental health evaluations all shot up during 2020, beginning when the various governments started implementing the lockdown restrictions. Most people couldn't handle being confined to their homes for such an extended period, while those of us who were essential workers had massive amounts of stress and responsibility dumped on us. This is a big part of why Texas and other states were so quick to start lifting restrictions, as they knew we all needed to get back to normal ASAP. 

The riots and looting that took place over the summer didn't help matters any, as it just got people even more worked up. And now that the lockdowns are eased, many companies are having trouble getting employees so that they can get going again. 

It's to the point now that there are people asking if, in many jurisdictions, the lockdowns didn't do more harm than good. 

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Just in Colorado:  We're dealing with 5+ youth suicide attempts every week.  Behavioral health visits to pediatric emergency departments are up somewhere between 70-90%.  We are shipping some kids to other states where there is some surplus capacity.  Politicians are usually lightning fast to declare this or that as an emergency, but our children's hospital system got the jump on them and declared a pediatric mental health “state of emergency.” last month.

Also, for a state that has only had 5k COVID deaths in 2020, we've also had 4k additional deaths more than usual that are not COVID related.  Deaths from all causes, are up 23%. Even accounting for population growth, mortality was up 18% compared to the five-year average.

Yep.  A year of lockdowns and pandemic.  Rioting in the streets.  One of the more polarized political climates in living memory.  Doomscrolling as we experienced the downfall of social media platforms as reliable sources of unbiased news.  We're starting to realize the impacts all that jargle had on us.

Now is a good time to be strong and resilient, and go take back as much of the old normal as we can.

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@laronius I see elements of anger everywhere, especially in the news.  Various news sources blame one political faction or another.  This troubles me because I have family and friends on both sides of this division.   But I am seeing something else - I see a uptick; both from conference talks as well as in the lives of many members to express and show love and compassion towards others - especially those that refuse to accept our doctrine (like the LGBTQ community).  That we should extend a hand of fellowship, especially to all those that would seek shelter from the tribulations of our time.  Though this is a challenge for me personally because of past struggles in my own life - I am becoming "converted" that the Saints of G-d must provide a place of refuge with love and compassion in these last days - that we may reclaim any and all possible souls that seek refuge from the tribulations.  And yet it seems more acceptable to one side or the other to be angry and hateful.

 

The Traveler

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2 hours ago, mirkwood said:

Halfway into the year my shift has gone to jail 4 times as often as the previous TOTAL year.  We are only 6 months into 2021.

Can you be more specific?  For example, for what offences and are our Utah jails reaching 4 times as many club member attendees?

 

The Traveler

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@Traveler I think you make a great point. I often find myself wanting to shut the world out, the people and their problems. But then I'm reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan where the so-called spiritual leaders avoided the man who fell among thieves lest they themselves get sucked into a societal problem they witness. Yet this is one of the very reasons we are on the earth at this time, to provide a light in an increasingly dark world so that those who are humbled because of what's going on will know where to turn. @mirkwood's experience with the dramatic rise in domestic problems is troubling yet makes perfect sense as that is where everything begins both the good and the bad and then spreads out into society in general. I don't follow professional basketball, for various reasons, but I've noticed in the news a number of incidents recently of fans becoming hostile towards players, something I don't think was common in the past. Just another sign of what's happening in men's hearts at large.

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I'll be honest. 

There were times I cried in the middle of the night because I was just that frustrated. 

Since I'm with a newspaper, I'm an essential worker. My load doubled during COVID, both covering everything and making sure everyone got their newspapers. We were literally donating hundreds of newspapers to the city to give out with the meal assistance program to help keep the public informed. This is on top of being someone whose columns people read to be informed and entertained, as I had to walk on eggshells to find things that would keep people going. 

I also had to deal with my parents (who didn't handle the lockdown well) and several others who ended up needing help as well. Yes, I had to try and talk someone out of a suicide attempt. 

I was fried to a crisp, and am still having trouble getting back to normal. 

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1 hour ago, LDSGator said:

We’re praying for you here my friend. Please stay strong. 

Thanks. 

The long and short of it is that when I was in junior high my maternal grandmother began the slide into Alzheimer's. 

My parents spent so much time and energy trying to take care of her that I was pretty much an afterthought. They just assumed everything was fine and dandy with me unless they were forced to deal with something, and when that happened they usually did so with short tempers. I had trouble convincing them that I was having issues with my physical health (the scoliosis in my spine had so long to sit that not only did it warp my spine, it warped my hips and legs as well) and issues at school, let alone that I was having issues with my mental health. 

I had to fight with them for several years before I finally got in to see a doctor who recognized that yes, there was something wrong with my back. By then I had reached a point to where physical therapy was almost completely out the window; short of alien cybernetics, the best I can hope for is extensive and invasive surgery and lengthy rehabilitation. Mom has accepted that she should have listened and that I'm dealing with the consequences, but dad is taking longer to convince. 

I've also recently gotten them to understand that, mentally speaking, I was wired wrong to begin with and what I've lived through hasn't helped. They accept that I'm likely on the autism spectrum and that they missed the warning signs just like they didn't understand what I was trying to tell them about my back. But I'm having to also explain to them that I'm still dealing with severe bipolar because the strain of everything that happened overloaded my mind and that some days it takes all of my energy just to function. 

I'm also trying to get them to understand that the triple play of "they had no time for me and often treated me like a nuisance when I needed their time", a toxic high school environment (it was so bad that one of the campus cops came to work with a hangover and subjected me to a rant about tequila), and "you didn't go on a mission so you're worthless" left a massive void inside that I've never been able to heal on my own. 

My plan for this year, before everything went wrong, was to finally get in to see whatever doctors and mental health experts I could afford (my Obamacare eats so much of my paycheck I can't actually afford to see anyone under normal circumstances). The endgame was to get a full sum total of what I'm dealing with, and if needs be get an official certification listing a disability rating. I've sunk so much of my life into trying to save this town and gotten so little in return that it's the only way I can get the help I need to even *try* and get my life to a more normal existence (which, at 37, I highly doubt will ever happen; I've already given up on ever having a family of my own). 

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Of course we see a lot of commotion in society in general but I was wondering if anyone else has seen a change in people over the last year?

Indeed. I can only describe the present moment as very unhealthy and concerning. I observe a significant increase in depression, anxiety, intermittent explosive disorder (IED), substance abuse and the list goes on...

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@Ironhold I'm not even going to try to empathize with what you are dealing with. It seems like some people get more than their share of trials in this life. I have a friend who has had to deal with major loss and disappointment over and over again during his life and yet he keeps on going and another who seems to get diagnosed with a different kind of cancer every couple of years and yet doesn't slow down in pursuing life. I think you would belong in this category of people I'm inspired by and of whom i say I'm glad it's not me because I don't know how I'd handle it. Keep up the good fight and continue to put your trust in Him who does know exactly what you are dealing with.

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