Toxic Flock Syndrome

When will enough be enough? What has happened to our "democracy"? Have we lost our sense of community? When will the vacuous bickering, name-calling and violence come to an end?

The events that have played out in recent days concerning the mailing of pipe bombs to politicians/ political activists should give all of us pause. We, the United States of America, have crossed a line that no culture should dare cross. Politics and violence have converged on the eve of thousands of local, state and federal elections. This despicable behavior is what I have labeled for many years as "Toxic Flock Syndrome". America the Beautiful has been transformed to Murica the Miserable, and it is high time we do something about it.

By all accounts, Cesar Sayoc is, and has been seriously mentally ill for a long time running. But I believe any objective observer would agree that the henious crimes committed by Sayoc transcend his mental illness. His mind, his soul, his very identity were at some point transformed by Toxic Flock Syndrome. Somewhere along the line, the propoganda, the vitriol, the primal anger cloaked as partisanship corrupted Sayoc. He became convinced that not only does there exist a profound evil in America, but that this profound evil is defined by political ideology. That those whom disagree with him the most are vile and dangerous people. He subscribed to the "flock mentality," the lowest common denominator... fear and loathing.

While Cesar Sayoc's mental disease no doubt caused him to behave in a violent manner, his victims were determined by a much greater and external evil: Identity Politics. I apply that terminology in a nonpartisan context, even though the left has been repeatedly blamed for it. The sad truth of the matter is, though, that ever since Watergate, US politics have been nothing more than a game of "gotcha". Tribalism- whether it is left, right or center, has vastly diminished our democracy. We have reached the precipice of internal strife and resentment. Our dedication to common decency and good will has been replaced by self-absorbed world views rendering us incapable of seeing beyond the end of our collective noses. And worse still, each and everyone of us are to blame, for a culture does not arrive at this place of immorality without the lion's share of us gleefully going along for the ride. I know, as for years ago I possessed such a mentality. I am ever thankful that I no longer suffer from the pack mentality.

I challenge each and everyone of us to do something that has become a rarity in our society. It is simple enough and requires no expenditure of your hard earned dollars. I beg of everyone to reach out to someone from the "other side". You might inquire, "Other side of what?" Great question... and my answer is the other side of ANYTHING. Pick anything- any issue, any problem, any political party, any gender, any argument, any race and any WHATEVER- and REACH OUT to it, now. Reach out and be compassionate. Reach out and be friendly. Reach out and be kind. Reach out and be useful. Love thy neighbor until it hurts, and then love thy neighbor some more.

Cesar Sayoc should never have been permitted to mentally decay to the extent that he became a domestic terrorist. Thankfully, he killed no one. We are tremendously lucky that he did not kill anyone. But had someone, ANYONE, reached out to Cesar and gotten him the help he so desperately needed, then Cesar never becomes a domestic terrorist.

Please, let's all of us bring an end to the Toxic Flock Syndrome. Let's dedicate ourselves to permanently ending the hate-filled ways of identity politics. Let's do so by embracing and celebrating those whom differ from us the most.

Just love one another, and forget who and what they happen to be.

Thank you, kindly.