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Printer-Friendly ModeVTech massacre highlights need for compassion
April 23, 2007 —
While the nation mourns for the lives lost at Virginia Tech last week, a heated political debate has been rekindled over gun control. Newspaper editorials and columns, everybody's blog and the broadcast media all seemed to come down on one side of the debate at the same time.
The New York Times published an editorial arguing for stricter controls on sales of lethal weapons; the Los Angeles Times' riposte argued that such a policy ignores the influence of the extant supply of guns in the United States.
In addition to the renewed debate over guns, there is some argument over Cho Seung-hui's motives, citing his violent writings and anti-social personality. What both debates highlight is a profound disregard for the obvious: Cho was a deeply troubled individual, who could have used a lot of help over a long period of time.
Insane tragedies like the massacre at Virginia Tech tell us nothing about gun laws; nor does Cho's incoherent and unintelligible writing tell us anything about what drives one to kill, despite the blithe assumptions so many have made.
President Gilbertson's remarks made to the public and to the Vanguard over the course of the week suggested that, among other things, one of the underlying problems in our society is a lack of human compassion. In his words, "Maybe we ought to look out for each other a little better."
That's not to assume that Cho would have been receptive to a compassionate individual, but it does suggest that there is a need for us to take a serious look at how we behave, and at how others behave.
Depression is real. People can and are driven to commit depraved acts. But there are red flags everybody can look for. Perhaps those red flags won't be anywhere near as obvious as Cho's, but taking a close look at the behavior of our friends and families, looking for disconcerting patterns and simply empathizing with others can serve as preventative maintenance in all kinds of relationship and personal problems.
If you think you may be depressed or are just feeling bad, there are all kinds of avenues that are open for you to pursue.
The most obvious and closest is of course SVSU's Student Counseling Center, which offers all kinds of outreach, including counseling and crisis intervention services.
And if you think one of your friends or family members is acting unusual, these very same services are at your disposal as well.
Cho may never have had access to these types of services, and probably wouldn't have used them even if he did. But that doesn't mean that people you know won't take advantage of them if they knew they could benefit from them.
The massacre at Virginia Tech was truly a tragedy. If it says anything about people, it's that they can be fragile things. Let's watch out for one another a little more.