Tragedy at Blacksburg, Virginia
It is scary. Imagine being a student in the Virginia Tech. Yesterday was indeed a sober day and incase you haven’t heard the news, a senior at Virginia Tech, shot dead 32 others in the campus. Initially I did not comprehend the scope of the disaster. After all, the media is known for making mountains out of molehills. The first news I read was around 7.30am about couple dead at a shooting in the dorm. I attributed it to one of the millions of random shooting cases I hear about. After all, you hear your local news reporter say a 10-year old was caught in class with a loaded gun, a 15-year old arrested for smoking pot. It is the society I chose to live in, a conscious choice I made and I go on.
But later the news of 30+ people shot dead because of the crazy functions of one 20 year old? And at a school campus? in a classroom? I go to school and I know how 8am on a typical Monday morning is. You are beating your Monday morning blues, hoping the caffeine kicks in, and mentally review all the week has to offer. It is finals time at most schools around US and half the students are in a zombie mode, working to get things done on time. They just think of deadlines to meet, excuses to make and dream of the summer vacation. And 32 people lost their dreams and hopes to a lone gunman…
I read about the students who were trapped, who lost their friends and their loved ones. It is heart-breaking. Accidents happen, life is precious but a massacre at a school?
Imagine parents, family members, loved ones miles apart waiting for news, calling up friends, checking updates hoping to hear a word, a glimmer of hope. I bet this was one day when parents hoped their children had overslept, bunked class whatever to keep them safe.
Our prayers are with everyone at Virginia Tech.. I hope everyone affected in anyway finds the strength and will to go on.
And to think people in India are burning effigies of Richard Gere for kissing Shilpa Shetty? And the medias coverage just because an actress was involved?
But later the news of 30+ people shot dead because of the crazy functions of one 20 year old? And at a school campus? in a classroom? I go to school and I know how 8am on a typical Monday morning is. You are beating your Monday morning blues, hoping the caffeine kicks in, and mentally review all the week has to offer. It is finals time at most schools around US and half the students are in a zombie mode, working to get things done on time. They just think of deadlines to meet, excuses to make and dream of the summer vacation. And 32 people lost their dreams and hopes to a lone gunman…
I read about the students who were trapped, who lost their friends and their loved ones. It is heart-breaking. Accidents happen, life is precious but a massacre at a school?
Imagine parents, family members, loved ones miles apart waiting for news, calling up friends, checking updates hoping to hear a word, a glimmer of hope. I bet this was one day when parents hoped their children had overslept, bunked class whatever to keep them safe.
Our prayers are with everyone at Virginia Tech.. I hope everyone affected in anyway finds the strength and will to go on.
And to think people in India are burning effigies of Richard Gere for kissing Shilpa Shetty? And the medias coverage just because an actress was involved?
smyo
April 18, 2007 at 9:07 pmSad event indeed. Definitely need a better way to communicate esp in this world of emails / sms / mms / etc.
On the other hand for folks like Cho Seung-Hui need treatment and medication. one in a hundred are wired differently unfortunately ( Bill Bryson: A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition)
On the other hand 146 folks got killed in bhagdad today in blasts 🙁 Lets not even talk about Darfur in Sudan. So the world we live in is rather complicated and not as happy go lucky as we want.
As far as Shilpa is concerned i think she enjoyed it ! The moral police isjust upset that they couldn’t partake (Loosers ! ) The gangs who instigate this effigy burning crap do it to divert attention from something more burning so they can continue with their underhand dealings. And the Indian media falls for it every time.
Srivishnu Mohan
April 17, 2007 at 9:46 pmConscious and timely post Vinitha but Indians aren’t just behind effigies of shilpa shetty. You could see the news of the shootout making headlines in all Indian newspapers.
Agreed Indian media is crazy but they are being a bit more sensible by the day.
In the end hoping that those affected will gain strength to face reality.