MEADOR: Virginia Tech shootings show need for humanity
Title
MEADOR: Virginia Tech shootings show need for humanity
Description
By: Jake Meador / Freshman English major
Posted: 4/30/07
When I first sat down to write my column after the massacre at Virginia Tech on April 16, my thoughts were two-fold: First, to write a column advocating stricter gun control. Second, to write a column praising the selfless heroism of Leviu Lebrescu and Waleed Muhammad Shaalan. I did the latter, but I've since decided not to do the former.
Gun control is such a divisive issue; the last thing we need right now is further division between people. Today is a day for reconciliation, not debate. Besides, if 33 dead bodies, including the gunman's, won't change your mind (one way or the other), then 850 words probably won't either.
But as I browsed the Internet reading stories of the awful event, sometimes wondering what sick curiosity drives us to such exploration, I stumbled across a link with pictures and a brief bio for each victim. Many of the pictures were highly pixilated - a sad reminder that they were never intended for such use. And at that moment I realized I, and many others, have forgotten to talk about the most important lesson to come from Virginia Tech.
And it has nothing to do with gun control or stricter campus security policies.
Among those killed were husbands and fiancés, wives and mothers, fathers and sons, daughters and sisters, Muslims, Jews, Christians and Hindus. One was a resident assistant who was in the marching band. Another was trying to find a cure for cerebral palsy. Still another had started a sorority for female engineering students. Another was in the dance ensemble.
I'm listing all these things for two reasons. Each individual was unique and had diverse interests and a never-before-seen personality. And when these individuals died, it wasn't just another tally on Cho Seung-Hui's killing spree; it wasn't a nameless number.
It was the loss of a unique human being that God created and knew intimately. We've heard the number over and over, "32 dead," but we haven't heard about them as individuals, and if we keep repeating the number, it's easy for us to forget that there are 32 families in mourning, as well as countless friends and others who were touched by these individuals.
There is another reason I listed all those individual traits. Despite their differences in interests, age, ethnicity, political beliefs, gender and religion, they shared a common humanity (something also shared between the victims and Seung-Hui, incidentally.).
Sadly, in the wake of this tragedy, many of us have spent more time discussing those differences than the commonality. We've spent lots of time debating gun control, religion, university security policies, etc. And, of course, we need to talk about all of those issues. You might be like me and think stricter gun control is needed; you might be like many of my friends and think this event is the greatest argument possible for carrying concealed weapons.
You might be like me and think the only final solution to this event is through some sort of metaphysical belief that transcends debate about public policy. I spoke with a Buddhist monk on the day of the shooting, and he was convinced the problem is one of ignorance. I'm convinced it's the problem of a sinful human heart, and all the knowledge in the world can't change that - only Jesus can.
You might be like me and think tighter security measures might be a good idea, but you have no idea how they'd be implemented. Or perhaps you think they're important enough that significant sacrifices in student freedoms are necessary to ensure our safety.
I say all of that because these conversations are important. Having strong opinions is not a bad thing, but you have to know how to express them. So often as we have these conversations we lose sight of the fact that, ultimately, we're all human, and even if someone disagrees with you, he or she is not your enemy. If you're a Democrat, Republicans are not the enemy; if you're Christian, atheists are not the enemy. Because of the intensity of the events at Virginia Tech and the topics being discussed, it's easy to develop the idea that people with differing ideas are hindrances to progress - if they'd just believe like me, maybe we'd get somewhere.
But it's never that simple, and even if it were, arrogance gets us nowhere. So listen, learn, respect - and love every moment of it. To quote the late Kurt Vonnegut, "Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies - God damn it, you've got to be kind."
I've got about 100 words left this year, but rather than waste them on further elaboration, I thought it'd be appropriate to print the names of the 32 victims. As you read, remember each of these people had friends, family, hopes and dreams, just like you. And right now those dreams have gone to the grave with them, and their friends and families are still mourning two weeks later. Even if some of us have already forgotten:
Ryan Clark, 22. Emily Jane Hilscher, 19. Christopher James Bishop, 35. Daniel Perez Cueva, 21. G.V. Loganathan, 51. Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20. Mary Karen Read, 19. Caitlin Hammaren, 19. Kevin Granata, 46. Liviu Librescu, 76. Brian Bluhm, 25. Austin Cloyd, 18. Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, 49. Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24. Jeremy Herbstritt, 27. Rachel Elizabeth Hill, 18. Jarrett Lane, 22. Matt La Porte, 20. Henry Lee (Henh Ly), 20. Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34. Lauren McCain, 20. Daniel O'Neil, 22. Juan Ortiz, 26. Minal Panchal, 26. Erin Peterson, 18. Michael Pohle, 23. Julia Pryde, 23. Reema Samaha, 18. Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, 32. Leslie Sherman, 20. Maxine Turner, 22. Nicole White, 20.
--
Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/30/Opinion/Meador.Virginia.Tech.Shootings.Show.Need.For.Humanity-2887492.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 30, 2007</a>
Posted: 4/30/07
When I first sat down to write my column after the massacre at Virginia Tech on April 16, my thoughts were two-fold: First, to write a column advocating stricter gun control. Second, to write a column praising the selfless heroism of Leviu Lebrescu and Waleed Muhammad Shaalan. I did the latter, but I've since decided not to do the former.
Gun control is such a divisive issue; the last thing we need right now is further division between people. Today is a day for reconciliation, not debate. Besides, if 33 dead bodies, including the gunman's, won't change your mind (one way or the other), then 850 words probably won't either.
But as I browsed the Internet reading stories of the awful event, sometimes wondering what sick curiosity drives us to such exploration, I stumbled across a link with pictures and a brief bio for each victim. Many of the pictures were highly pixilated - a sad reminder that they were never intended for such use. And at that moment I realized I, and many others, have forgotten to talk about the most important lesson to come from Virginia Tech.
And it has nothing to do with gun control or stricter campus security policies.
Among those killed were husbands and fiancés, wives and mothers, fathers and sons, daughters and sisters, Muslims, Jews, Christians and Hindus. One was a resident assistant who was in the marching band. Another was trying to find a cure for cerebral palsy. Still another had started a sorority for female engineering students. Another was in the dance ensemble.
I'm listing all these things for two reasons. Each individual was unique and had diverse interests and a never-before-seen personality. And when these individuals died, it wasn't just another tally on Cho Seung-Hui's killing spree; it wasn't a nameless number.
It was the loss of a unique human being that God created and knew intimately. We've heard the number over and over, "32 dead," but we haven't heard about them as individuals, and if we keep repeating the number, it's easy for us to forget that there are 32 families in mourning, as well as countless friends and others who were touched by these individuals.
There is another reason I listed all those individual traits. Despite their differences in interests, age, ethnicity, political beliefs, gender and religion, they shared a common humanity (something also shared between the victims and Seung-Hui, incidentally.).
Sadly, in the wake of this tragedy, many of us have spent more time discussing those differences than the commonality. We've spent lots of time debating gun control, religion, university security policies, etc. And, of course, we need to talk about all of those issues. You might be like me and think stricter gun control is needed; you might be like many of my friends and think this event is the greatest argument possible for carrying concealed weapons.
You might be like me and think the only final solution to this event is through some sort of metaphysical belief that transcends debate about public policy. I spoke with a Buddhist monk on the day of the shooting, and he was convinced the problem is one of ignorance. I'm convinced it's the problem of a sinful human heart, and all the knowledge in the world can't change that - only Jesus can.
You might be like me and think tighter security measures might be a good idea, but you have no idea how they'd be implemented. Or perhaps you think they're important enough that significant sacrifices in student freedoms are necessary to ensure our safety.
I say all of that because these conversations are important. Having strong opinions is not a bad thing, but you have to know how to express them. So often as we have these conversations we lose sight of the fact that, ultimately, we're all human, and even if someone disagrees with you, he or she is not your enemy. If you're a Democrat, Republicans are not the enemy; if you're Christian, atheists are not the enemy. Because of the intensity of the events at Virginia Tech and the topics being discussed, it's easy to develop the idea that people with differing ideas are hindrances to progress - if they'd just believe like me, maybe we'd get somewhere.
But it's never that simple, and even if it were, arrogance gets us nowhere. So listen, learn, respect - and love every moment of it. To quote the late Kurt Vonnegut, "Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies - God damn it, you've got to be kind."
I've got about 100 words left this year, but rather than waste them on further elaboration, I thought it'd be appropriate to print the names of the 32 victims. As you read, remember each of these people had friends, family, hopes and dreams, just like you. And right now those dreams have gone to the grave with them, and their friends and families are still mourning two weeks later. Even if some of us have already forgotten:
Ryan Clark, 22. Emily Jane Hilscher, 19. Christopher James Bishop, 35. Daniel Perez Cueva, 21. G.V. Loganathan, 51. Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20. Mary Karen Read, 19. Caitlin Hammaren, 19. Kevin Granata, 46. Liviu Librescu, 76. Brian Bluhm, 25. Austin Cloyd, 18. Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, 49. Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, 24. Jeremy Herbstritt, 27. Rachel Elizabeth Hill, 18. Jarrett Lane, 22. Matt La Porte, 20. Henry Lee (Henh Ly), 20. Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34. Lauren McCain, 20. Daniel O'Neil, 22. Juan Ortiz, 26. Minal Panchal, 26. Erin Peterson, 18. Michael Pohle, 23. Julia Pryde, 23. Reema Samaha, 18. Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, 32. Leslie Sherman, 20. Maxine Turner, 22. Nicole White, 20.
--
Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/04/30/Opinion/Meador.Virginia.Tech.Shootings.Show.Need.For.Humanity-2887492.shtml>Daily Nebraskan - April 30, 2007</a>
Creator
Sara AA Hood
Publisher
Daily Nebraskan
Date
2007-09-03
Contributor
Sara AA Hood
Rights
Josh Swartzlander <jdwriter19@yahoo.com>
Language
eng
Citation
Sara AA Hood, “MEADOR: Virginia Tech shootings show need for humanity,” The April 16 Archive, accessed November 23, 2024, https://april16archive.org/index.php/items/show/1270.