Cynicism: Is There Any Good Left in the World?
In the movie “The Untouchables” there is a scene where Kevin Costner’s character Elliot Ness (a treasury officer trying to bring down Chicago crime lord Al Capone) is dealing with the aftermath of a brutal attack by Capone’s men in which Ness finds the bodies of one of his own men and their star witness. He later gets a phone call from his wife. She is checking to see that he’s okay. He asks what she is doing and she tells him that she is looking at colour swatches to decide what colour to paint the kitchen. After hanging up the phone he says to his remaining men, “Some part of the world still cares what colour the kitchen is.” The viewer, of course, gets an immediate sense of the vast distance between his two worlds.
On a similar note here is a recent discussion between my husband and me.
Mike (while reading the paper): One of the Bacon brothers got arrested.
Leanne: Who are the Bacon brothers?
Mike: It must be nice to live in a world that doesn’t know who the Bacon brothers are.
Leanne: It’s very nice. Come join me sometime. It’s all, sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, (and I start singing the song by the same name….with mixed reviews).
I’m not sure of the exact statistic but I think that approximately 10% of the population has a criminal record. However, after dealing with all of the things police officers encounter shift after shift, it seems like 90% are criminals. We all know there is bad in the world, but when it lands on your lap in every ugly shape and form, when you have to see and stop the shocking, horrendous things that people are doing to themselves and to others, it gives a whole different skewed perspective. And given that the Police must handle it all without becoming emotional, keep the lid on the garbage can, it follows that the stress of the job can do more damage than the job itself. Psychological and emotional stress will often come out sideways in physiological problems. This is where a police family can be crucial to tip the balance of their perspective back to the world having some good in it.
When driving home one night, many years ago, my husband and I heard on the news that five people had been found murdered in our town. I looked at him with a gasp and he just calmly said, “Well, I hope it is a murder- suicide. That would be good.” I wondered out loud, “But you know that a murder- suicide isn’t a good thing right?” So he explained, “But from an investigational point of view, then the whole thing is wrapped up and we don’t have some crazy out on the street.” He is right of course, but then again we both are. This isn’t really a sense of cynicism; it’s just the beginning of that new perspective.
Police officers know how to effectively combat a suspect, but how can they combat the growing sense of a world perspective that can be very ugly. Cynicism, taken as far as it can go, is a very depressing place. Alertness can lead to suspicion, which can lead to paranoia. You begin to believe that possibly everyone is up to no good. You begin to question whether there is any good left in the world and eventually, if not shown otherwise by your own choices and by the people in your life that care, you come to believe that there is none.
One thing that helps to counteract the effect of the job is to make sure the job isn’t your whole sense of self. Finding and staying with activities and people who bring you happiness and peace is one of the antidotes for cynicism. My husband likes to take the kids to theme parks, circuses, and thrill rides. This is great because the negativity can easily rub off on the rest of the family. This is the detour he needs to get of the negativity path.
I was watching a video, from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, where a police officer was recounting an experience when he was arresting an uncooperative suspect. As he was physically wrestling with this man he was suddenly hit with a heart attack. Thankfully, he survived the incident and subsequently, while recuperating, he learned that he needed to find ways to de-stress. One of the things he found most helpful was “beach therapy”. Walking by the ocean helped him gain a perspective and recalibrate his life.
Another time, when we were driving to church as a family, my husband saw a man walking down the street and said, “I dealt with that guy.” About a block later we passed another man and he said, “I dealt with that guy too.” My twelve year old in the back seat asked, “Have you dealt with everybody?” and my husband said, “It seems like it.” So then I started asking about each person we passed, “Did you deal with that person?” answer, “No” and “What about that person?” “No”. Pretty soon it was apparent that not every person had been dealt with by my husband.
The job of policing can be a great job. Each and every day you are helping people. However, as you encounter the struggles and experiences people are going through you may find that these are heavy burdens to carry with you. They may weigh you down as you take them with you every where you go. As a children’s counselor, people often ask me how I can hear the stories of what some kids have had to go through. I know this is nowhere near as bad as what police have to see. I hear the aftermath, the cleaned up version. I don’t always see the actual bruises and blood. Yes, it is difficult sometimes, but I have learned that no matter what the situation I need to give it to God and He has always helped me carry it. This would be the most important suggestion I can offer. Just give it to God. He will help you carry it. And if you’re feeling like there’s no good left in the world, don’t forget, there still is. You’re in the world.
By Leanne Novakowski, M.Ed., Abbotsford P.D. wife