It is impossible not to feel saddened. It is impossible not to be shocked and stunned about what happened at Virginia Tech Monday morning. Most of us cannot imagine what drives a person to commit such horrible acts. A total of 33 people are dead after two shooting sprees on a university campus, of all places.
None of us can imagine the pain and suffering of the victims’ families, their friends or the Virginia Tech community. None of us can imagine the sorrow and anguish of the gunman’s parents. Most of us are lucky that we view this tragedy from a distance, behind the safety of a television screen and a computer monitor without the recurring nightmares of the sights and sounds of Blacksburg, Va., on April 16.
Nothing we write or say will unwind what happened. Nothing we write or say will bring back the lives of those killed, or heal the psyches of the surviving community at Virginia Tech. We take comfort in knowing that perhaps we will learn valuable lessons from this nightmare. We find solace in the hope that as a human family we – each and every one of us – will introspectively analyze why we’re becoming so violent and what can be done to become more peaceful and compassionate.
With all of the negative aspects of this tragedy, we’re truly heartened by the stories that have begun to emerge – the stories of selfless acts, of heroism by students and faculty members – some who lived, most who didn’t. Time and again in the worst of circumstances, people have sacrificed themselves for the benefit of others. The line from the original Star Trek series, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one,” is a perfect descriptor. We are also strengthened by the character of many of the victims and the lives they led until they wound up in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
There is the story of the student who opened a window to let others escape. And, there was world renowned engineer Liviu Librescu – a Holocaust survivor – who became a human shield. While his students survived, he didn’t. Perhaps he was guided by the experiences of his youth and as a teacher. He taught his students the ultimate lesson of surviving in an onslaught of terror. Another victim was a student. He spent his summer breaks working at a special camp for inner city youth. There are many more such stories, each one equally poignant.
The tragedy of the massacre at Virginia Tech isn’t one of weak or failed gun laws or a single troubled youth. Those are ongoing discussions for a different time. Instead, it is the impact of the events. Our society lost something beyond its dwindling sense of innocence. It lost the contributions of these men and women who would somehow make a difference in the years to come.
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