Colorado Killings: A late reaction
Author :
anjana dayal
Blog :Peace Calls
Date: 7/22/2012 6:33:00 PM
The recent massacre in Aurora, Colorado was a horrible event. My heart is troubled and aching. As I see the news in CNN, lot of questions come to mind. What led this young man to commit such an awful act? How come no one saw something 'not right' about this person? And if they did, what type of thoughts or lack thereof prevented them to report it? What kinds of things that families, neighbors, regular and/or online businesses should be looking for to prevent people taking such actions?
What is the definition of personal space in western societies where nobody in the family knows what a person is up to for months? Looking at similar events, one thing is pretty clear, that a combination of psychological, social factors and life experiences lead to such dreadful and irrational behaviors. Are there any early indicators of psychological factors that can be detected by families or school community? If there are no early indicators, are there other indicators that manifest at a later stage and can they be disseminated in the public in a simple manner?
Being a firm believer of human resiliency, I know that the survivors will eventually move on with some support. However, every human has their own unique coping mechanism and therefore requires certain types, levels and durations of support. I hope nobody is pushed to move on and they have enough time to grieve and those who want to celebrate their new life can do so without any judgment or criticism. I pray that the survivors of this tragic event and the affected families receive appropriate support to recover from this unthinkable episode of their lives.
One question bothers me often... is the value of life different in different parts of the world? The real picture says yes and the logic says no… In some cases, I get to see photos and names of the people that died in a violent attack, sometimes I even see their names engraved on the monuments built in their memory and on the other hand millions of victims are no more than just numbers! Yes, it is true that there is a discrepancy in how people live but there is also a discrepancy in how you are remembered after you die regardless of what you did throughout your life… I am grateful for those whose legacy is honored and I am eager to see that the remaining 'numbers' are transformed to names and faces that duly receive pertinent remembrance.
In the end, I want to acknowledge that we are all affected by tragedies, such as the shooting in Aurora. I would like to encourage all of us to be actively get involved in activities that can prevent such hateful events and please be supportive of those who are grieving tragedies like this wherever you may be. Let us all march towards a world free of fear and full of freedom!