OUR VIEW: In honor of Va. Tech’s students and faculty
The horrible tragedy that occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech Monday morning is a stirring reminder to us of how precious life is and how quickly lives can be changed by the actions of others.
The bloodbath that ensued as a disturbed gunman entered the Virginia Tech campus and went on a shooting rampage is an event to be looked upon with great solemnity. We at The Utah Statesman and across USU wish to express our condolences to the families and friends of the victims and want these people to know that our thoughts are with them.
Blacksburg, Va., is a small, peaceful town much like Logan. It seems to be the most unlikely of places that an event like this could happen. The events of a cold spring morning forever changed the lives of many people and senselessly ended the lives of 33 people. Many are asking how this could happen What would possess someone to do this horrible deed?
There are few hard and fast answers to this question. But one thing seems to be common in almost all school shootings: the shooter was a loner who felt like an outcast. While this is no excuse for killing anybody, it is a reminder to each of us that we should reach out to other people. There is enough hate to go around everywhere, so instead of adding to the problems, we can be the solution. We can be nice to people and be accepting. Perhaps just being nice to people won’t stop horrific events like this from happening, but at least in some small way we can each do our part to avoid this violence.
Another thing to be remembered is that the shootings were an isolated event, not indicative of the habits of a people. The shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, came to America from South Korea in 1992. The South Korean government recently expressed fears of backlash to Korean students, who are the most numerous foreign students in the United States. It should be remembered that the shooter alone is responsible for the events that happened, and is no way a reflection of the Korean people.
Tragic events such as the bloodbath in Virginia remind us how truly fortunate we are to live in the safety we do. Events like this are common occurrences in some parts of the world and while we are deeply saddened by what happened on Monday, we should also be grateful that we do have a predominately safe country to live in with law enforcement officers who work to preserve our safety and freedoms.
When events like this happen it gives us a chance to reevaluate our lives and realize what is important to us and how we can reach out to others. Let’s do more than just give lip service to this idea, let’s implement this into our lives and reach out to those who are hurting and suffering from this tragedy.