Quirk Life

When I was getting dressed this morning 32 people died. I didn't even know till about 2:30, when my English teacher told me. Later, after school, I was listening to the news on the radio. A girl was talking about how she was in a class where the shooter had came in. She said he walked in about five feet and began to shoot very methodically- making sure he got every one. He left for a second so they tried to lock the door. It wouldn't lock. So they all pushed themselves against the door- trying to keep him out. He started shooting through the door.

Later, she said the police came in and told them to run. Only four of the people in the classroom actually was able to leave- 2 of the four who left were shot. The rest she said were either unconscious or dead.

The interesting thing about this, that I find, and that I've always have found, is how easy it is for people to do this. Here we are, in one of the most modernized countries on the face of the planet and 31 people died today because our security wasn't high enough to protect them. It reminded me allot of 9/11. When 9/11 happened I had just turned 11. 2948 people died that day. Again, because here, in America, our security wasn't high enough.

After incidents like this, everyone is so irate about the issue. If only so and so had metal detectors or if only so and so had hired CSI agents instead regular cops. If only so and so had closed the campus. Though, I'm sure these ideas are very valid, all I can think about is that here in America, where we have cops in every city, where their are qualified doctors practically everywhere, where we have a great emergency response teams, where justice is at least thought to prevail, things like this still happen.

On July 7, 2005 in Britain, 52 people died when some people decided to get a train and blow themselves up. Again, in a modernized country, with police, doctors, the whole shebang. So of Corse we end up asking what about security? Shouldn't it be tight enough, no one can get through anywhere with a bomb? Even with top-notch technology and even the greatest security system this is impossible.

The only thing that can stop this is people's intentions. I'm so sorry to what happened at Virginia Tech. The horrors that happened there I don't even wish to imagine. Now what can we do? Tighten security? What will that do? The world is massive. No matter what you do someone will find their way around it.

So what can we do? We can reach out to those around us. We can break barriers and remove the idea of "them and us". We can befriend people that are different or are just going through a hard time. We can show them that we are similar to them. We can change their intentions and changing intentions is the strongest thing any country can pull off.