The irony of the recent news story about 3 women abducted by 3 brothers & held captive for a decade in Cleveland is startling. It isn't the first such story & it is likely it won't be the last. There seems to be a regular pattern of similar stories which emerge in the Western world. The two I remember are Elizabeth Fritzl who was kept captive for 24 years by her father & who bore him 7 children & Natascha Kampusch who was abducted aged 10 & held captive for 8 years.
All of the above were held in plain sight in the middle of cities.
How is it that in a world in which we are connected to each other in seconds by mobile phones, tablets & computers these women can be held captive with no one noticing any strange behaviour? Are we too busy with our own hectic lives to spare the time for others? Or is it simply that we do notice, but don't want to become involved?
What is lacking in these men which makes them behave in this way towards women? Even more confusing is the role of complicit women, whether it is wives or mothers.
In technologically developed societies are we losing the ability to interact physically & emotionally with our neighbours? Do we think of our neighbours & our lives outside the home as some sort of reality computer game? If so some people won't score enough to move onto the next level! Are we all becoming inured & moving towards psychologically disfunctional emotional development?
I really hope not & I have experienced both wonderful supportive friendship as well as being left to cope, or not, by people I thought I knew & cared about. I have to believe the good in human beings far outweighs the bad which gets reported. Otherwise what's the point of our existence?
No comments:
Post a Comment