Our nation has once again been rocked by a horrific episode of anger and violence. I have been shaken to the core by this latest senseless act. I attended school at Virginia Tech in the early 70's and there will always be a piece of me in Blacksburg. I ended up moving to Virginia because of my experiences at Virginia Tech. As a past student at VT, as a Virginian, as an American and as a human being, I feel compelled to shout out about some of what has taken place surrounding this event.
The media often travels to low levels during challenging times in an attempt to create news and fill air space. Thirty three people were dead, dozens wounded, hundreds of law enforcement and emergency personnel were responding to a tragic situation, thousands of families worried if their children were among the dead, and millions of people around the country and the world cried and prayed together. I guess the media saw this as an opportunity to take things to an even lower low.
Before the blood on the dorm floor, the class room floors and the sidewalks had even dried, the media "feeding frenzy" began pointing fingers. No one even knew what the questions were and many in the media thought they already had the answers. They once again attempted to make news instead of report news. The attempts to place blame started while people were still bleeding and dying. Even questions asked of students often tried to direct responses towards naming the person who could have prevented this event.
The offensive direction the news was running with this continued non-stop. At 4:15 on Monday afternoon, Jack Cafferty asked viewers to respond by e-mail to the question, "What affect will this have on future enrollment at the school?" JACK- GET WITH THE PROGRAM! Students and faculty were dead, dying and wounded and you want to start a dialogue about enrollment.
It is time for the media and the world to listen and respond to this horrible wake-up call. There are some things in our world that are broken and we all must work on fixing them. This epidemic of anger and violence must be reversed. The answers aren't simple, but there is an answer. This is not a time to sit on the sidelines. It is not a time to quit, withdraw or hide. This is a time to step forward and a time for action. You have to believe you can make it better. We all have the power to make someone's life better. We all have the power to make someone hurt a little less. We all have the power to make someone smile. We all have the power to leave the world better than we found it. Listen to you heart and you will know where you need to be. Find a way to pass on some kindness, some peace, some love and some smiles. Challenge everyone you know to do the same. The gunfire in Blacksburg, Virginia on Monday morning could be the sounds of death or truly the shots heard around the world with a message of life. Something good must come of this and it is in our hands.