A Cold and Broken Hallelujah

After witnessing the tragedy of the shootings at Virginia Tech, many questions still linger. People wonder why it happened, who could do such a thing, and how we can stop it from ever happening again. But among the questions there is plenty of which we can be sure. The amount of greif and sorrow one person can cause is extraordinary. It shakes us to the core, reminds us that life is very fragile.

However, the most impressive image that will last for me after this tragedy is not the pain, but instead the power of the human spirit. It began with the immediate outpouring of support from campuses across the nation. It sounds cheesy, but it gets the point across: "Today we are all Hokies." I saw the reports of the shooting from the very beginning when it was only 1 dead, but immediately I was drawn in by the fact it was a campus setting. The same envioroment I was in and soon would be heading out on. But it all came together when I saw images of the candlelight vigil the next night. That was one amazing scene. It spoke of courage, undefeatable spirit, and was an act that said this can not bring us down.

Like all tragedies, it only makes people stronger. It brings people together to face the ultimate end of death, but to celebrate the fact that life does go on. It is powerful to see this, but why must it take tragedy to bring this out. Just as no one can understand why someone could commit this crime, we should also stop and wonder why it has to come to this point. We all need something to believe in and stand for, so instead of finding ways to do this that tear us apart, people must look for ways to believe in something that brings us together. I say we start with the banning of handguns in this country.

It's shocking to see what has happened, but I can't say I wasn't numb to it most of the time. It's all to common for these things to happen, and it somehow never surprises me that much when it happens. Let's hope I don't have to feel numb to something like this for a very long time.