A Very Sad Day

I had another post thought of and partly written, but in light of the prominent news story of the day, I felt that I should take some time out to talk about it.

I am always deeply saddened when I hear news about killings. I really can't think of a more dishonorable act than to to take a gun and systematically kill off innocent people, with whom you have no previous relation to, and who have no ways to defend themselves. But I always have had a particular disgust with people who can kill students. People who are only beginning to experience what this world has to offer. It's sad and sickening.

This particular tragedy hits pretty close to home for me, for two reasons. First of all, it's at a college. In all the school shootings I've seen in recent years, the victims have been high schoolers and such. I essentially had a preconception that "that sort of thing doesn't happen in college." But it can, and it did. This particular tragedy happened at Virginia Tech, but it could have just have easily happened in any school, even at UC Berkeley. We always think that we're safe until someone comes along and proves us wrong.

The second reason that this really gets me is the fact that a number of the killings were done in their dormitories. Their residence halls. The kinds of places that I work at. And I can't help but wonder...what would have happen if it occurred here? What would I have done? What could I have done? People think RAs have the power to do things, but we're just students, like everyone else, and just as fragile as everyone else. I suppose it does me no good worrying about such things, but still, it's hard to help.

I'm pretty sure that we (students and especially hall staff) are going to be on high alert in the upcoming future. There's always the immediate danger of copycat crimes, and after that, we're still going to have this in the back of our minds. As sad as it is that we do have to think about such a thing, it's a fact of life.

I apologize if this seems a bit incoherent; I'm just feeling a bit incoherent now.

...*Sigh*...

Whatever divine power you believe in, please pray for the souls of those people who have prematurely gone to their rest. And pray for the perpetrator of the crime; their soul obviously needs it.

And call your family. Tell them you love them.

Rest in peace, friends.