Monday morning, Virginia Tech underwent a tragedy of devastating proportions and one that will no doubt become a horrific landmark of our generation for years to come.
At least 33 people were killed and 22 people injured when a seemingly lone gunman went on a shooting spree in a class building and a dormitory at the university. Details about the shooter’s motives and even his identity are sparse because of the turmoil the university’s community is still experiencing.
Va. Tech’s administrators are left with the task of answering questions from frantic parents who are living through their worst nightmare – parents who want to know whether their child was among the students who were killed.
“The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus,” Va. Tech President Charles W. Steger said in a statement on the university’s Web site.
Steger’s comment could easily speak for the rest of the country. Across the United States, people are shocked and horrified to think that this could happen here, in our country.
The shooting is already being called the worst rampage in U.S. history, and to have it occur at a fellow institution of higher education brings it a little too close to home. It could have just as easily been our University facing a similar catastrophe. It could have been our classmates who were cut down for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Even writing about the tragedy is difficult because it is so senseless, and the loss of life is so needless. Shootings like this force us all to deal with the darkest side of humanity, a side that no one should ever have to confront.
It sounds hollow to say, but the thoughts and condolences of The Daily Reveille’s staff go out to the families of all Va. Tech students. Their loss is beyond comprehension and far more than anyone should have to contemplate.
If anything positive can be taken from the situation, it is that this shooting makes all of us realize we are not invincible. Life for us could end at anytime, so we should appreciate it while we can.
Stop for a moment today to think about the world and your role in it, and thank whoever you deem appropriate that you have the ability to do so.
Thirty-three people at Va. Tech do not have that luxury anymore.
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