The phrase new normal kept popping up in news articles lately. There was something about it that I didn’t like, but it wasn’t clear to me before coffee.

Then it hit me, after coffee, of course.

The articles were focused on the rise of violence in our time. We have terrorists abroad murdering people over what is at base a difference of opinion.

Then we have groups here in the U.S.A. who have started murdering Police Officers.

As to the first issue, the terrorists killing over opinion, when I am speaking to adults about how to handle disagreements, I often note that it is childish to come to blows over a difference of opinion because it shows that you are not secure in your argument and stance on the subject matter.

How much more so when you murder people who do not see things your way?

Regarding the murder of Police Officers, what precisely do these domestic terrorists think they will accomplish? The road to improving relations with the Police certainly doe not involve shooting.

So we have a violent time in our world. This is not new. The world has never really been 100% safe, but for most of my life, I have been able to get through each day without resorting to violence at all, and I can go even further and state that I have more often than not had no need to even resort to the threat of violence.

In recent months it seems that the headlines have been going from domestic terrorists attacking, then foreign terrorists, and repeat and repeat.

But what is this new normal they keep writing and speaking about? And why did it irritate me so much?

The new normal is this wave after wave of terrorist attacks. It irritates me for a simple reason. Calling the current state of affairs a new normal is clearly a surrender. It is a subtle push toward the option of throwing up the hands and saying the cause is lost and violent extremism is here to stay.

I do not recognize the authority of “news reporters” to tell me when the cause is lost. I do not accept that there is now a world where I must grow accustomed to the murder of Police Officers or citizens of any nation at the hands of extremists of any ideology. I will not give up and say that the bad guys win.

There is good and there is bad. Right now we are seeing a violent lashing out of the worst that humanity has to offer. And, especially if you spend a lot of time glued to news outlets, it can be easy to see the situation as hopeless and fall for this “new normal” BS.

But it is BS. There is no new normal. There are just a lot of bad things happening at the same time. We are so connected to information that it can overwhelm our brain. The thing they seem to be actively avoiding is the way to get these issues resolved is going to be a hard road with a lot of work involved.

Here are a few points to consider.

First, think about when that scumbag murdered five Police Officers in Dallas. The next day, did Police Officers across the nation refuse to go to work out of fear? Nope. They went to work protecting and serving like they do every day.

Did Dallas riot and burn and loot? No. We mourned.

Think about the people around you every day. Do they kill people who disagree with them? I’m willing to bet they don’t.

You are surrounded by good people because there are more good people of every race and creed than there are bad people of any race or creed. And those who protect the good people still show up for duty in spite of the fact that their lives are on the line for doing so, now more than ever.

I want the senseless killing to end. I am against murder and hate. I am for peace and love. I think most of us are the same in that regard.

So, what are you to do?

Train to protect yourself and others. Be prepared to fight if the need arises. If you are not a fighter and not willing to engage the enemy, then do what you can to either shut down or cut out the extremists in your group. Every group has them. When you are silent about, or even worse – when you offer excuses for – the behavior of the worst in your self-identified group, you further the cause of violence and death.

We do not have to accept this chaos and mindlessness as normal.