The Virginia Tech Shootings: The Day After

I watched the first 45 minutes or so of today's convocation. It was heart-wrenching to watch the photos of those who were murdered. Smiling faces, so many of them so young. None of them likely knowing their life would be ending so early.

Then there was the face of the young man who did the killing. Also so very young. His life, too, ending so early. And not surprisingly, learning that he kept to himself. As the man on television went through a brief list of details about this young man, all I could think of was "no surprise there."

What was troubling to me was the labels that were put on him. "Moody." "Social outcast." "Loner." Labels only describe the behavior and are such, so limited and often judgmental. They do not describe the cause, the reasons behind the behavior. I hope the media doesn't glorify his memory with labels. That won't solve a thing.

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, there is a real opportunity to heal here. An opportunity to talk at a level we still continue to fail in doing. It's so long past the time to remove all of the masks we wear. It's so long past the time to stop the finger pointing. The blaming. The judging. Well perhaps not stop. It's human nature to do these things. But maybe we can really begin to talk without censoring ourselves. And then keep talking until the anger has been expelled, and the pain reached. Once the tears begin to flow, you know you've found the place when things can be understood (or at least accepted), when healing can begin.

I watched Oprah today for the first 20 minutes or so. The conversation again was more about pointing the fingers at others. The audience practically went nuts with applause when one man sternly said Don Imus is a racist and there is no one to blame but himself for his comment. Ok, fine. So he holds that belief. Why? Let's examine that.

Sigh. We get keep getting so close...........