If you've been reading the news lately (that is, if you can take it), you've probably read about a man in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley who lived the picture perfect family life, had a nice home, car and a great career but when things went sour for him he murdered his family then turned the gun on himself.
But the case of 45-year-old Karthik Rajaram is really an example of what I fear will become a series of economic desperation-based crimes that we will see as times get harder in coming years. ...
Now, to be clear, there's no actual evidence that overall hard times or great times are triggers of crime one way or the other. In fact, some of the most heinous crimes of our generation (i.e., Columbine High School, Heaven's Gate, Susan Smith) were committed when the economy was doing well.
But these are the toughest times many of us can remember and a lot of people in our generation are not equipped for this degree of turmoil, thus crimes like this one have a chance of becoming commonplace. Indeed this Los Angeles Times graph does suggest that higher incidents of murder did hit that area when unemployment went up, and that's not just in poor neighborhoods.
What that indicates is that certain areas, that are used to a particular standard of living based on an industry like aerospace or technology, will see more crime because of an inability to cope with the sudden downturn. In the case of Rajaram, depression set in after a job loss and his finances, hence his life took on a downward spiral.
Looking at his example, depression was most likely the biggest factor and he did the worst thing anyone can do in his situation: he panicked. We all get scared in times like this and when you don't know how you're going to pay your bills or feed your kids, it is easy to become irrational, but this is a case that clearly teaches one important lesson: whatever you do, don't lose it.
Instead, you're better off seeking help from various resources that are available for you before it's too late. There's help for people who are going through a rough patch, as this article suggests, and it's up to us to use our resources to get past these humps which we are all experiencing.
Look, I'm not naive enough to think that we shouldn't get scared or upset when we get a pinkslip, a foreclosure notice, or see our retirement fund tank. But desperate acts based on our grief, trust and believe me, are not the answer and will only serve to make matters worse and stir up more fear, which is the last thing we need.
1. Henry David Thoreau said "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
According to popular consensus, this is just the beginning. Apparently times like these were the great depression. And yet interestingly enough, the greatest number if millionaires were made during the great depression.
Great depression? I think not, more like the Great Opportunity to Prosper. It is true you are what you think. Looks like this guy just couldn't see a way out!
Patricia Kagwiria Makhulo at 7:24PM on Oct 9th 2008