(119) Human dignity and respect matter

Social psychopathology an organization’s component parts really are not much without all the people that fill up an organization. Of course, the form of an organization surely is a product of who leads and guides the organization, because this will differentiate the internal dynamics that take place which plays a role in the moral and emotional stability of each and every member in the organization. These are organizational place and time variables that change from place to place and over time depending on many variables, but one of the most important attributional factors that causes the most variance of very good or very bad outcomes in many avenues at the micro and macro level really is dependent on whether the characteristics of the leader are effective or not. Reading a recent article yesterday about four suicides in six weeks of 3 non active members of a Sheriffs department and another that had just recently retired in Texas has brought me to once again focus on my experience here and the dynamics at play from recent experiences I have encountered from a local leader. My concern is that his behavior may be more of a form of pathology that is contributing to many negative unforeseen factors of a leader running amok which from my experience can cause a lot more harm than good.

Here is a link to the article:

Tragedy rocks Texas sheriff’s office after four deputies die by suicide in six weeks: ‘It caught a lot of us by surprise’

The death of Deputy Christina Kohler was announced by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office last week

Mike Bedigan

in New York

Tuesday 25 March 2025 23:40 GMT

A Texas police department has been left in shock after four of its deputies died by suicide within the span of six weeks.

The death of Deputy Christina Kohler was announced by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) last week. The 37-year-old law enforcement officer had joined the force in 2018 and served in the courts division.

Kohler was reported missing two weeks ago and her body was discovered on March 13, officials said. Three former deputies have also died by suicide within the past six weeks. The president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, Jose Lopez, said that he and his fellow officers are currently processing the situation. "It caught a lot of us by surprise," Lopez said, The Mirror reported. "One is too many. Two? Three? Yes, it's definitely devastating."

Houston Police Officers' Union president, Douglas Griffith, told the outlet that suicide risks are 54 percent higher for those in law enforcement. In its post confirming Kohler’s death, HCSO reiterated that mental health support was available for colleagues. Three days after Kohler was found, it was also announced that former Harris County deputy Maria Vasquez, who left the department in December, also died by suicide.

Earlier last week, another former deputy, William Bozeman, was found dead under similar circumstances. Former deputy Long Nguyen, 58, also took his own life on February 6, according to the medical examiner.

"It hits very close to home and it's a reminder to us how fragile life is and it's also a reminder we do need to look out for each other. We do need to take care of each other," Lopez said.

Dr Thomas McNeese, the director of the Harris County Sheriff's Office Behavioral Health Division told KHOU 11 that the past few weeks had been “difficult for our staff and the sheriff's office as a whole.”

This “profession, unfortunately, takes a toll on people. And, over time, the longer you're in it, the more of a toll it takes, and it changes people,” he said.

"The average citizen I think in a lifetime may be exposed to two — I think is the statistic — critical incidents, whereas one of our officers might be exposed to that on a shift.

McNeese added that he hoped the multiple losses within such a short period of time will spark a break in the stigma around conversations about mental health and suicide, which is still pervasive within law enforcement.

"It's ok to not be ok, but it’s not ok to not do something about it. You don’t want to stay stuck there," McNeese said.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

I started keeping a blog in 2021 due to many years of negative practices previous to starting the blog. Practices that were just becoming more inhumane and more extreme, and the same thing is happening again this time around. It seems the longer that the individual that I have brought attention to is in power each time the more erratic and extreme his behaviors have become. The current new position the person attained in 2023 is no different and this time it is getting even worse even sooner. Stress and frustration that go unresolved that lead to displacement should be addressed through assessment due to uncovering any number of multiple etiologies so that the problems do not get worse. If practices become extreme and go underground like the outlaw practices I have experienced, then it is obvious if extreme behaviors towards others persist there are situational factors that contribute the too polarized ideologies and other dispositional deficiencies somewhere that are attributing to the very nature of the practices themselves. If running roughshod over others becomes the norm instead of following and making decisions based on first principles of the job, or instead of considering the principles of what the United States Constitution stand for. Then it may be safe to say that if we fail to use these as a guide in the decision making process then we may start making mistakes and falling back in time that actually create the same type issues/problems that were taking place way back when that were the primary reason why first principles of organizations and articles like the United States Constitution were written to try to prevent in the first place. A study Steve Covey did looking back over 200 years of history found people were very grounded in character values back then. Another consideration is that today we experience value differences, generational gaps, and changes in technology that make for more challenges than what are colonial counterparts had to contend with, but there was racism and bigotry back then. Is it safe to say that modern times have led to degrees of stress that has afflicted the complexities of living to the degree that looking within and character value living has gone by the wayside, instead prompting a meaningless crisis of shallow being and think lessness.     

I have spent a great amount of time studying and researching human consciousness due to my being an agreeable and conscientious person.

I stayed grounded and by not letting my suffering go in vain I tuned into my cognition, emotion and intuition to seek meaning and deeper understanding of the bigger picture so that I could articulate acceptance from the objective truth and reality of what was taking place around me and why. It prevented burnout, and by not becoming addicted to negative emotions like fear, disgust and, anger I was able to remain empathic to be empowered by my experience. The contrast is when these negative emotions override rational thinking and positive energy higher self goes by the wayside when in a denigrated state of repressive apathy sets in. This loss of healthy coping skills of staying aligned to self while engaging with others due to lacking emotional strength from living in a vacuum (apathy) is a void that when lacking the ability to look within is a challenging form of meaninglessness and pain that becomes directed outward in a very negative and obstructive way. Maladaptively speaking problems will be compounded to a higher degree of pathology, and existential psychologist Rollo May said that to fill the void of living in the vacuum of apathy an individual will act implosively or explosively and that it is just a matter of time till something sets them off.

I find in my experience of doing the deeper work of making meaning of my suffering/feeling is learning, it is development, and that empathy does prevent negative emotions from setting in and taking residence in the mind. I do not experience fear, anxiety, aggression, or hatred due to controlled thinking as a result of having a strong mind. Being self-aware, having individuality of character and being attuned to values, morals, and principles allowing for the mind to integrate more circuitry between more localized regions and structures of the brain to function as a whole. Without going into further detail of the neural aspects the differences of an empathy versus apathy state of existence one may find it interesting that the suffix “pathy” means suffering/feeling. Meaning one is to be empowered by it while the other becomes opposed to it. One addresses pain while the other halts positive growth succumbing to external events that affect them in a fixed mindset feelings which they do not have control over. This depersonalized, dissociated self that become desensitized, though internally, will not engage to address pain, instead become emotionally dysregulated. This the maladaptive stress response a disconnect from cognitive control is form of PTSD which manifests in emotional reactivity, impulse control issues and imbalances in the reward center leaving a person prone to adverse behaviors and addictions these behaviors. The fear center (amygdala) will become damaged overtime and hyperactive, scanning the environment for fear/danger which cannot be rationalized, instead instigating strong emotions (i.e., fear, anger, hatred) of the sympathetic nervous system in which they cannot control. Keep in mind that it is compassion a form of empathy that regulates sympathetic arousal.

To explain Rollo Mays thoughts further. Some cannot resort to violence towards others sink into depression which mimics physical pain, then do not want to feel this way anymore therefore give up and harm themselves. While others look angrily outwards generalize categorize without challenging their thoughts, instead acting very negative through them. Polarized ideologies and hatred will only escalate and become more extreme over time.

Here’s what this may look like:

https://youtu.be/ws87Ombk4NE?si=iwLwCcwIgMCt_Esj

The negative experience I encounter is of this ugly spirited nature which is at a higher extreme due to the explosive behavior towards others. When an individual becomes compromised in their state of being detached and dissociated from self that something else becomes of them, then it would be considerable too say that staying attuned to the suffering/feeling of self and others in alignment to a solid core identity is the very nature that prevents getting caught up in a web of pathology to the degree of fantasy that spirals out of control as a quest of destruction towards others that one cannot envision nor refrain from.

How we treat ourselves matters, how we treat one another matters more.