Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and the devastating effects of mental health abandonment

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, questions concerning gun control in not only America, but Australia and the rest of the world have once again been raised. Yet the real question that needs to be asked is not regarding gun control, rather who is behind this weapon of devastating effectiveness. 

There seems to be a remarkable trend of those behind these massacres having a history of mental illness, but once again this issue has not been raised.

Mental illness affects a magnitude of people, and does not discriminate between race or any social classes or structures. Mental illness can range from depression, bi-polar disorder to extreme bouts of schizophrenia. Yet this sad and sometimes deadly topic is sans spoken about.

President Obama has made recent reforms to the U.S. budget, allocating the same amount of funding towards mental health than that towards clinical healthcare, which is a welcome adjustment.

 One of the major talking points in Australian politics (when they actually talk about policies and are not slinging mud at each other) is reforms towards mental health, but we are still yet to see major advances in funding and research towards this issue.

However..

The real issue that lies within mental health on a global scale is people’s unwillingness to speak about it. Those who suffer from it, those who know someone who suffers from it, and even those who have only read up or heard about mental health issues do not wish to speak about the effects of it, almost as if it was taboo.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was appalling and absolutely unforgiveable, but a boy like this should never have been allowed to gain access to weapons.

If there is anything to be gained from this, it’s that there’s never been a better time to raise the issue of mental health on a global scale.

After watching the arguments on Q&A last night between Cardinal George Pell, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, and professional atheist Richard Dawkins about the existence of God, I've come to the conclusion that this argument is archaic, pointless and not to mention fruitless.

Since the dawn of religion there has always been arguments between those who believe, and those who don't. The science of the Renaissance era arguably brought down many mythological beliefs/stories of the bible, and since then the Church has sought to focus on the morals of these stories, instead of proclaiming truths behind them. And it is these morals that we all, including atheists, live by every day. Don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, do to others what you have them do to you, etc.

Religion and its churches provides people with an avenue of belief, and a greater meaning of life. It provides people with a purpose to live good and just lives. Whether you like it or not, religion has shaped the world we live in, from its inception into society over 2000 years ago. You may not believe in god, but you would certainly believe in the morals that his "book" and its disciples have given society.

Lets stop arguing about the existence of God, because like it or not, be he man or myth, he has shaped our society into what it is today, and I for one am not complaining.