At times it feels like weeks have passed since Monday morning’s carnage on the campus of Virginia Tech.
But it’s only day 3…
- The third day of unspeakable grief for the families of students and teachers…
- The third day of shock for university leaders who must be replaying their own actions and decisions in the few quiet moments they may have had since the news broke…
- The third day of an investigation into what went wrong
…But it’s the first day when we’ve had more than a glimpse of a young man whose writings and actions said so much while he himself said so little.
I don’t know how it’s been for you, but I haven’t had a meeting or an interchange over these three days that hasn’t started out with some sorrowful reference to Virginia Tech. And before long, we are all launched into a long conversation about the sadness, the tragedy, the illusion of control and the wonder about what’s going on out there. Just this morning, a dear friend was describing how exhausted she’s been since hearing the news – she doesn’t know anyone personally affected by the tragedy and neither do I, but I do understand the kind of psychic tiredness she feels.
I think it’s called grief. And I think Virginians are feeling it in a way that perhaps no one else in the country is, save for those families whose dreams were shattered in gunfire that seemed like it would never end.
It’s a Virginia story because not many of us can say we don’t know someone who went to Tech, who’s child goes to Tech, whose children all went to Tech - because it’s a family affair, don’t you know!
Our children at other Virginia colleges know many of these young people whose lives were ordinary enough when the sun set on Sunday night and who, this coming Sunday night will return to campus a week after an event that will change them and their community forever.
Maybe because it’s “our story,” I have found myself with little patience for instant accountability and easy blame. Within two hours of Monday’s noon broadcast in which the number of dead escalated from one to twenty two, my inbox contained offers to interview people on both sides of the gun control issue. Since then, we’ve heard from authors and attorneys who ask whether Virginia Tech can be held liable.
Who among us can believe that the President and his leadership team did not have in their hearts and minds the best interests of the students and staff at that beloved school? That doesn’t mean mistakes weren’t made. It doesn’t mean colleges, universities and other organizations ought not to review their plans, think the unthinkable and be ready to respond.
Make no mistake about it. This event was perpetrated by one troubled young man. But if the portrait of the killer now emerging stands the test of time, then we have to ask ourselves some hard questions if we want to avoid another such tragedy.
- We have to figure out where to draw the line on troubling behavior and how to respond.
- We have to acknowledge the growing numbers of mental health issues on campus today and decide whether we’re willing to invest in healing
- We have to determine how much freedom we’re willing to sacrifice for how much security
- If we determine these events can’t be prevented, we have to find ways to get the word out effectively to minimize the loss of life
Those are very big questions and they will require considerable thought and conversation. Some direction will come from the investigations now underway but before we give way to quick answers or news interviews that seek to skewer public servants before all the facts are in, I hope we’ll all take a deep breath, realize we’re all hurting, think about the families who’ve lost so much and be patient with a process that can lead to meaningful change.
Many of you have written and said very kind things about our shows this week. And I thank you most sincerely on behalf of Karla Martin, our producer, Tayla Burney, our Associate Producer, Perry Smith, our audio engineer, and Al Sykes, audio engineer and father of Virginia Tech junior Aaron Sykes.
We may not always be first with a story, but our goal is always to invite you into conversations that advance our understanding of the issues that challenge us. And I have seen few issues in my time that are not more complex than they seem at first glance.
Such will be case with the story unfolding at Virginia Tech and I thank you most sincerely for your thoughtful comments and your very kind appreciation of the work it is our privilege to do.
Stay Tuned,
Cathy Lewis