Reply to comment

It's hard to imagine that a full week has already passed since last Monday's tragedy at Virginia Tech. Everyday there's a new article to read on the subject, usually with a new piece of evidence that I can only imagine makes those in charge at Virginia Tech shake their heads and wonder "How did we not catch this in time?" It's an immensely sad situation to think about, but one that shouldn't be forgotten or put aside too early.

What I wonder about with horrific situations like this (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Tsunami, Columbine, etc) is when and how we finally do move on. I'm in no way saying that anyone present when the Twin Towers fell will ever truly move on, but speaking from my own experience, my sentiments and feelings are much more settled now than they were on 9/11 and in the following weeks. Over the period of human development and existence, how did coping mechanisms come into place that allow us to deal and process such sad occurrences? We can easily say that early humans would never have had to deal with the devastating effects of 9/11 or the shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech, but they must have had their own respectively traumatic events from which our "modern" coping mechanisms developed.

When I hear about the violence present in today's world - the daily reporting on the news of the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq along with the escalating number of civilian deaths in that region, for example - I can't help but wonder if we've become desensitized to such violence. Yes, such news saddens me, but I don't find myself grieving. Maybe it's because I'm lucky enough thus far to have been spared from being directly impacted by such things that my reaction is so small, but I still find it... odd, I guess, that all I feel is a sort of indifferent numbness when I read the death tolls. Has the fact that we have all grown up in a time of increased accessibility to news in a way commoditized death?

I'm sorry if this post has been more political than most, and I apologize if I've upset anyone by talking about what I have. These are just things that have been on my mind recently, and as we continue to collectively mourn for those lost at Virginia Tech, I hope that some good can come of this sadness. That maybe it will help us to focus on the important issues present in our own nation, as well as those abroad. But for now, like I said, all I can do is hope.