As the nation reels from the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I cannot help but wonder, what made this guy do it? The whole thing has me really concerned about the state of things in the country. This incident is so unreal because the guys is, for the most part, normal. He was 23, so teenage angst cannot be blamed. No violent video games to use as a scapegoat. The press is trying to dig up something about his violent writings and the fact that he was on antidepressants for a while, but the fact still remains that this guy could have been any number of people we know. How often do you see a quiet person in your class and think, “My god, this guy is going to go crazy one day.” If you are anything like me, probably never.
What could drive a 23-year-old college kid to execute 33 people? We all have bad days, and even bad weeks, but the majority of people are not this selfish. There is nothing in the world that could justify, or even lessen what this kid did. And to make matters worse, he shot himself like a coward, so he would not have to face the world. Now all 33 families who are mourning their losses have nothing more than the grainy image above to focus their anger toward. Sick.
This makes me wonder, what would happen if UST faced a similar situation. Can you imagine a lunatic shooting people in Robertson or the Academic Mall? How would we be notified, what would the University do? I for one believe students, faculty, and staff should come together and address the issue. Now I am sure some of you are reading this saying, “It will never happen to UST.” I am sure those at Virginia Tech said the same thing.
-Hamilton
