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After Tragedy
What does one do after tragedy? Classmates of mine were stopped on the street by a professor. He wanted to know whether students were changed by the shootings at Virginia Tech. “Not really,” they said. They said no more.
“Well, that’s a conversation stopper,” the professor said. But there was more. A friend of mine had been forwarded a prayer request, as his family’s neighbor was a student at Virginia Tech. Ten hours later, he found out she had been killed.
One sees signs, and hears mottos, such as “we’re all Hokies now.” And it’s true that we observed a moment of silence in our various clubs and societies for the victims of this attack. But the moment of silence ends. And those who, like my friend’s neighbors, lost a daughter may be left cold after the collective embrace of a nation is removed. It seems that without anything to do, we move on.
I asked the Professor whether he thought this would change the way the school operates. I am sure that committees will be called and meetings will be had and for a while we will think we are doing something, taking action, fixing the world. These are probably good. But maybe part of the faithful response, a response that I certainly won’t have, is to continue to hug.
There will be more articles and more news and more thoughts about more things, and if we’re all Hokies today, we won’t be tomorrow.
By
Michael Pomeranz
|
April 19, 2007; 8:27 PM ET
| Category:
Lox et Veritas
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Next: The Time to Move On
Posted by: xdomwei rcmug | July 10, 2007 11:02 PM
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Posted by: xdomwei rcmug | July 10, 2007 11:01 PM
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Posted by: xdomwei rcmug | July 10, 2007 11:00 PM
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Vickey Severson-Pruitt:
I can understand you wanting to do "something" for the victims and their families, so you pray. But to believe that a "loving God" allowed this horrific slaughter to occur for a reason--well to me, that thinking sounds like mental illness itself.
Posted by: B-man | April 21, 2007 1:00 AM
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My comment towards Judith Abeles statement,
What do you mean instead of praying? which won't help either the survivors,wounded. It alway go to pray, because I prayed for even the ones who were killed, saying to myself; I pray that those who were killed were saved in Christ. And I pray everyday that the surivors, and the wounded find peace in life, and to know that is there for them. Trust me! there's a reason for althings that God do.
Posted by: Vickey Severson-Pruitt | April 20, 2007 2:56 PM
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Instead of praying, which won't help either the survivors, the wounded or the dead, why don't we do something about the proliferation of guns in our nation, the failures of our mental health system, and the complacency of people who know something is wrong and don't say or do anything about it.
Perhaps engaging in the futile act of praying makes people feel as though they've done something when they actually haven't.
Posted by: Judith Abeles | April 20, 2007 1:11 PM
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