The Value of a Life
Yesterday, 33 individuals were murdered at Virginia Tech, in what was an unprovoked and senseless act. There is no meaning in this random act of violence that so swiftly cut short so many lives. One can't begin to understand the pain being felt by those close to the events. The images of the family and friends -- of the injured and dead -- they can only provide those of us far removed, with a mere glimpse into the pain, confusion and helplessness of the situation. For those of us that feel, the loss of life is a wound. How can you not help but feel for those dead, injured and the family and friends left behind?
In the days and weeks that will now follow this horror, while the media is still squeezing every bit of sensationalism from the murders, there will be speculation, finger pointing and much deliberation. For those close to this, trying to understand, there will be much frustration. When the media grows tired of this story, it will fade from our collective memories -- as we move on -- and as those close to the victims learn to live with the ache and emptiness that will no doubt always remain.
I wonder if this is what it's like in Iraq, where in January, two bombs were detonated during the after-school rush at a Baghdad university, taking 60 lives, and wounding 140. I wonder if this is what it's like in war ravaged Iraq -- where educators and students have been targeted in senseless and unprovoked attacks, resulting in hundreds of deaths. I wonder if the Virginia Tech massacre will afford us fresh new eyes from which to view the plight of civilians in Iraq -- where wildly varying reports of 30, 40, 100 to 900 thousand individuals have died since the US invasion of 2003. The Iraqis are as fragile as we are -- they bleed as we do -- they die as we do -- surely, they must also feel loss like we do.
I wonder if the Virginia Tech massacre will teach us anything of the value of a life -- ours, and those of others we treat as commodity. Surely, enough have died to teach us that lesson.
In the days and weeks that will now follow this horror, while the media is still squeezing every bit of sensationalism from the murders, there will be speculation, finger pointing and much deliberation. For those close to this, trying to understand, there will be much frustration. When the media grows tired of this story, it will fade from our collective memories -- as we move on -- and as those close to the victims learn to live with the ache and emptiness that will no doubt always remain.
I wonder if this is what it's like in Iraq, where in January, two bombs were detonated during the after-school rush at a Baghdad university, taking 60 lives, and wounding 140. I wonder if this is what it's like in war ravaged Iraq -- where educators and students have been targeted in senseless and unprovoked attacks, resulting in hundreds of deaths. I wonder if the Virginia Tech massacre will afford us fresh new eyes from which to view the plight of civilians in Iraq -- where wildly varying reports of 30, 40, 100 to 900 thousand individuals have died since the US invasion of 2003. The Iraqis are as fragile as we are -- they bleed as we do -- they die as we do -- surely, they must also feel loss like we do.
I wonder if the Virginia Tech massacre will teach us anything of the value of a life -- ours, and those of others we treat as commodity. Surely, enough have died to teach us that lesson.
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