Monday, July 23, 2012

A Societal Failure

It is sickening to watch the face of the Colorado massacre suspect, his red hair and his expressions. What made a bright, handsome, young man coming from a normal family do such a horrific thing is beyond imagination. It must be so painful for the survivors and the families to watch this man on the TV.

It must be like needling a fresh wound to see this man. I pray, wish and hope that those who are directly affected by this massacre receive the strength and support to live  this heartbreaking time of their lives. Terror, deaths, injuries in a place where you go with your family to enjoy is so shocking and numbing.  Hope the survivors are surrounded with right resources and are soon involved in constructive activities that facilitate healing of their physical and psychological scars.

I wonder how his family members are dealing with the situation... they might be experiencing a mix of guilt, sadness and helplessness. Hopefully, concrete lessons learned can be derived from this situation so that never again parents have to deal with this type of guilt.

I also wonder what is going on in the suspect's mind. The expressions on the suspect's face are so diverse; he looks tired, shocked, disoriented, and indifferent. Are those real reactions or is he making them up? If he is in senses, what all is going on in his mind? I just can't get over his face... how a person without any apparent reason can kill and hurt so many innocent lives. Why could not we as a society prevent this massacre to happen? What a tragic failure!

Yes, probably this crazy man will get the due punishment but is punishment to the perpetrator ever enough to heal the wounds of those who survive the trauma? Yes, the court proceedings and final judgment in this case are vital but it requires long-term attention beyond the punishment of the culprit. This horrific event requires some serious scrutiny. All psychological and social factors must be thoroughly studied and the lessons learned must be shared with the parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, and all other stakeholders.

Thankfully, failure can be a firm foundation for many successes. Let us come together and vow that we will do everything in our control to teach our children peaceful ways of dealing with life. Secondly, we must give appropriate attention to our family members, neighbors, colleagues and if we see anything questionable, we must take the appropriate action. Come, let us please vow for peace!



3 comments:

  1. At times, I wonder what drives these people to do what they do... to kill and harm... is it in their genes, or is it a result of experience and conditioning?

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  2. Yes, Ash, I wonder that too… From the studies of previous events, it is clear that it is a result of combination of psycho-social factors, experiences and other factors that may facilitate these activities such as monetary and/or technical help. In summary, we cannot blame just one person even though he becomes the face of the tragedy.

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  3. It all depends upon what we cherish in mind. In this case it was darker picture.

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