Book of D: Reconciling with the Real American Tragedy: the Lack of Mental Health Care

Sue Klebold spoke about the day she gave birth to her son Dylan. Sue said she was "overcome by a strong premonition. This child would bring me a terrible sorrow." Dylan would prove to be a good kid and a joy to be around until that fateful day on September 11, 1981. It would take some 17+ years for Sue's poignant feelings about Dylan, on his day of birth, to tragically come to fruition. Dylan Klebold along with Eric Harris murdered their classmates and teachers on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School. Was the Columbine tragedy a gateway for all the many shootings that have plagued the United States since that mass shooting in 1999? Or have we as a society just overlooked the very thing that has been staring us in the face all along: preventive mental health planning. After all, isn't prevention better than treatment? One would certainly think so, so why aren't we approaching mental health care maintenance in this manner? Yes, it's good to talk about risk factors and warning signs, but we owe it to previous and future generations to do better and instead focus on educating our children early on regarding good mental health practices. Our society has become so consumed at being reactive that it seems too banal to actually try to first be proactive. Yes, the "sleeping giant" is once again caught napping like the foolish "Gulliver" character it tends to emulate all too often. Wake the fuck up, America! As we keep focus on physical fitness, let's incorporate mental fitness via a mindfulness program that helps our children early on in their lives. Perhaps starting at the kindergarten level. If we don't do this, who the hell will.