# Fear, Frustration, and Violence: Societal Implications for America - Proposition By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2025-09-14 Occurrences of violence in America resonate differently depending on context. School shootings affect parents; office shootings, workers; political assassinations, the socially engaged. Irrespective of context, each act of violence is a tragedy. And, however indirectly, each act of violence affects us all. It is easy for the focus in these situations to be reduced to a handful of dominant elements. Guns, mental health, and rhetoric are among the most common. Each of these elements contributes to the persistence of violence in America. But these three things are not the only contributors. More fundamentally, we have become a nation defined by fear and frustration. This fear and frustration are multifaceted, containing political, personal, professional, economic, national, religious, and social elements. America is not okay. There is little indication that it, collectively, is ready to admit that it has an existential problem. Things will not improve until it is prepared to acknowledge that not only is it not perfect, but it isn't even all that good. It is an embarrassment. At this point, some will say, "If it is so bad, then leave." The response to that should be, "No." America is worth salvaging from its current wreckage. Fear, frustration, and violence do not have to be the dominant vibe. We can be better.  But if it is to be better, it will need to be "we" who are. American individualism has accomplished about as much as it can. That focus is tapped out. We need to understand that America is more than a collection of individuals, and that the lot of us all will influence the quality of our individual lives. Feeling like one needs a gun to walk around a city, or having a security alarm on one's house, is not reflective of a healthy society. It isn't normal, and it shouldn't be normalized. It reflects a sick society. The sickness isn't inherently political, though both parties opportunistically exploit it. We have focused far too long on the top, believing that benefits accrued for the elite will trickle down below. They don't. We need to focus on the least among us. Fixing the fear, frustration, and violence in America requires trust. This trust will not be established until each has dignity. #### Related Items [[American]] [[Violence]] [[Fear]] [[Frustration]] [[Existential]] [[Individuals]] [[Society]]