One of the signature songs of the anti-war movement of the 1960s was Pete Seeger's Where Have All the Flowers Gone. The verses speak hauntingly of the death of young soldiers, the sorrow of those who grieve their loss, and ask when – or if -- we will ever learn an alternative to violence.

It is clear that learning has yet to happen on a societal level.

We are a country that is violence-saturated in every area, and we are in grave danger of accepting interpersonal aggression as a normal way of expressing and resolving conflict.
 
Daily, we are bombarded with soldier-death counts on foreign soil, and we vicariously witness brutal local crimes on the eleven o'clock news. Verbal violence spews from shock-jocks on radio and TV, and this value is firmly integrated into many videogames, CDs, and movies available for our kids.

And, as long as we tune in to such radio and TV programs, this negative energy will dominate our mind and body.

Violence is Always On
A Federal Communications Commission report affirms the connection between media violence and aggression in children, noting that the average American household has the television on 8 hours 11 minutes daily, with children watching, on average, between two and four hours of television every day.

It is no wonder that symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS), usually associated with those returning from the battlefield, are appearing in the general population. We are seeing an increase of reported anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping for all age groups, along with a corresponding increase of prescription medications addressing these symptoms for young and old.

In addition, we are learning to self-medicate the symptoms of PTS. Whether we escape by watching reality TV or shopping networks, or engage in online gambling, overeating, recreational drugs or other activities that entertain or distract, we do so to eventually numb a gnawing uncertainty about whether the world is a safe place to live.

Recognizing the Addiction
The paradox of living in a violent society is that viewing tragic and/or brutal events can become addictive. We somehow believe that the unfortunate event will not happen to us as long as we keep an eye on it. The psychologists call this "hyper-vigilance," and it is consistent with the sentry function necessary to war zones.

It is thus perfectly normal to be both repulsed by what we see and unable to look away.

Unfortunately, each time we revisit a tragedy we are re-traumatized by the offending incident. With each new trauma, our level of PTS grows.

The only solution is to separate from the source of stress and to opt for inner peace. This means withdrawing from the pleasure/pain of addiction to crisis, coping with potential withdrawal symptoms, and pledging abstinence from obsessing on other traumatizing events.

How do we begin this process?

In the words of the 12-Step folks, it starts when we become sick and tired of being sick and tired. It is then that we can surrender, find a quiet place, and let the healing process begin.

Finding the Quiet
For some, simply meditating for twenty minutes a day serves to disconnect from the intensity of the noise.

For others, it means physically unplugging the TV, or refusing to work overtime hours, or finding a babysitter for the kids and going out for the evening, or closing up the city house and heading for a weekend in the country

Note that withdrawal symptoms are likely to occur as you work to find the quiet.

Initially, you may feel uncomfortable that you’re not aware of whatever latest atrocity has occurred, but this feeling is only temporary. Soon, a calmness and new appreciation of the people, places, and things in your life will replace the old anxiety.

The craving to watch external violence will be replaced by an appreciation of the inner landscape.

From that point, a new path will unfold. You will naturally want to share your discovery with others, and you’ll find that there are many who have declared that the war is over.

Perhaps one day, Pete Seeger – or his successor – can write a sequel to his song, in which all the flowers have gone to bloom in gardens, young men no longer go off to war, and we have no need for military graveyards.

Judy Shepps Battle is a New Jersey resident, addictions specialist, consultant and freelance writer. She can be reached by e-mail at writeaction@aol.com. Additional information on this and other topics can be found at her website at http://www.writeaction.com/.

Copyright 2009 Judy Shepps Battle