« can you believe it? | Home | chris rock for president »
april and the value of a life
By marissa | April 17, 2007
I’m beginning to fear April. The recent happenings at Virgina Tech reminded me that a lot of bad things have happened in April. Columbine, Waco, Oklahoma City, ect. People tend to draw the connection to Hitler’s birthday, which is in April, but I just think it’s the weather. I think that the weather has a lot to do with it. If you are depressed all winter and then Spring comes along and everyone is all happy and lovey-dovey, you just can’t handle it and snap. I don’t know if there is any scientific proof to this, but that’s what I think.
The happenings at Virginia Tech deeply saddened me, angered me, and strangely motivated me. I am sad because this was something that didn’t have to happen, but also was unavoidable. There were a lot of warning signs that many staff members on campus had inklings that something wasn’t right with this kid. So theoretically people could have intervened. Also it was unavoidable because some people just aren’t going to respond to help and that also makes me sad. I am angered for the pure reason that the gunman had access to guns. If guns weren’t so widely available, the amount of deaths would have been dramatically different . . .plain and simple. It is this anger that has motivated me to work towards getting rid of guns. Whether that means donating to charities, voting for specific politicians, or becoming active in the community I will do it so that my future children won’t have to worry about what their friends have in their backpacks.
This tragedy has also made me think of Iraq. I know that we are in a day and age where we are surrounded by news of Iraq but I do have to say something, but I don’t want it to sound insensitive. Why does the nation stop for 32 college students, but nothing is said about the college-age soldiers who die in Iraq everyday? What makes the value of their lives different? The V-Tech students didn’t choose to die and I would argue that many of the soldiers in Iraq didn’t choose to die either. I think that not many soldiers thought that dying for their country would include dying in an unjust war.
April . . . a sad month for all of us.
Topics: in the news | No Comments »