Well, the world didn’t end today as some predicted, displaying once again the incredible power of thought. Clearly, we can’t speak to whether thought actually makes things happen “out there” (in this case it didn’t); but we can certainly speak to the fact that for people who believed their own thinking about it, the fact of the world ending was absolutely real to them. My guess is they’re having different thoughts in this hour that have become their new reality.

But that’s not what I wanted to address–it’s just that the world not ending is giving me an opportunity to address it. Watching all the heartbreaking activity around the families burying their own children and burying those adult educator heroes, I kept thinking of how senseless and unnecessary this entire tragic event was. I addressed why it was senseless and unnecessary in the last piece I wrote. But beyond all that there’s an extra tragedy going on behind the scenes. Watching the government go into action around guns and mental illness, I am struck by the almost guaranteed probability that Three Principles understanding will not even be at the table. What could be exceptionally helpful to the field of mental health will very likely not even be invited to participate, no matter how many letters are written requesting it. Why? There is no place for a new paradigm at the table. As if the old paradigm has really worked to prevent these kinds of events from happening. The perpetrator, Adam, was in fact being treated by the prevailing system, the prevailing paradigm, was he not? He was already on medication, was he not? Obviously something was missing. Obviously something didn’t work all the way. What if he were helped beforehand to call his “reality” into question? We’ll never know if that would have made the difference–in his case. But it sure wouldn’t have hurt. And, for others who are right now out there contemplating the same kinds of things, it might just make some difference. If it only made a difference in one of these people not carrying out what their “reality” is compelling them to do, would it not be worth it?

But until we have scientifically accepted double-blind studies that compare Three Principles therapy (and prevention) with other therapies (and prevention) and we can show we make at least as much of a difference, why would anyone pay attention? Because we have so many anecdotes of how many lives have changed? It doesn’t work that way, unfortunately. But one would have thought by this time all the anecdotes would have at least piqued the curiosity of the powers-that-be (whoever they are), as in “Hmm, maybe something promising is going on here that we need to formally study.” It takes a lot of money to do a scientific study like that. But when volumes of psychological journals and entire university systems and textbooks are geared to the old paradigm, no one really wants to hear, “Oh maybe we’ve been approaching psychology in not the best way. Wait a minute, we’ve been doing things backwards?” That’s not something a lot of people want to hear, especially when they have a vested interest in keeping the system exactly as it is.

But it’s only  a matter of time before they catch on. I’m guessing only about 70 more years. Unfortunately, in the meantime, an awful lot of lives will have been lost in the process. But I actually am hopeful. What other way is there to be?