I know it’s been a while, and I wish I could blame my absence on school or work or any number of other things, but I can’t really. All I can say, dear people, is that I have been negligent.
I chose today to make sure to post. Today, you see, has been set aside to be a Day of Silence in the blogosphere, in memoriam of the Virginia Tech victims. Let me get something straight: I am not posting today to be spiteful towards these people who are abstaining in remembrance. If that is how they wish to give their condolences, then more power to them. Secondly, I also realize that the VT people don’t need anyone else speaking for them. Thanks to the Big Media, we got 24 hour coverage of the whole thing. (That’s something I take issue with too, but that’s for a later entry)
I’m posting today not to be in defiance of that effort, but I am posting today because that’s what I think the world needs to do. I’m not saying that what happened was a big deal, but what I am saying is that if we allow this event, or any other disaster, to make our collective wheels stop spinning, then the gunman/extremist group/whatever wins. A disruption, a pause in the status quo, people stopping to gawk. It garners attention, which is exactly what is desired.
My heart goes out to the families and friends of the VT shooting victims, but forgive me if I refuse to give attention to a madman. Forgive me if I encourage VT, their families, and their friends to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and show themselves, the university, the city, the state, the country, the world that they are made of the tough stuff. They are strong, and they are victorious, and they are unstoppable.
Gunmen, bombers, natural disasters, you name it: we are a country who stands strong, and we are a country who remembers our dead by working to better the place in which they so needlessly died. We remember our dead with honor, not with pity, but with staunch resilience to continue on, to improve, to edify, to make sure the world remembers what we stand for.
I realize that the VT shooting was no Civil War, but Abraham Lincoln spoke truthfully when he said “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
So, be strong; live strongly; remember fondly your family and friends who died, and work ever the harder to make them proud.
I respect your opinion and by posting this comment, I do not mean to change it. Although some people most likely follow this day of silence blindly, I would like to explain a good reason why silence is used for causes as this one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_Day
(Read the quote at the end; Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_silence#Events
(Read what the card says; What will you do to end the silence?)
Once again, I do not wish to try to change your means of showing respect. Do what you wish to do, as long as you show respect.
I myself participated in the day of silence not just for the victims of VT, but for all victims of injustice around the world. And instead of simply taking a day of silence, I have also made a post regarding what could have possibly caused such an incident (before the fact that he was mentally instable came out) and what can be done to prevent it.
2Perfect,
I hope I made it clear in my post that I take no offense by what you and all the others who participated are doing. In fact, I applaud you all for doing something that you feel strongly about. So, I’m hoping that you don’t think that I think you all are wasting your time or anything of the sort.
I am a doer. I don’t like sitting around on my hands, and while I my own small voice is not able to do much, maybe, just maybe, I will incite someone who has some clout. I do. In this case, I could write, so I did. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the gravity of the situation, and I appreciate what you and the rest of those who participated in One day of silence have done. I’m sure you have affected a group of people in that way. I would like to think that I have affected a different group of people in mine. Both ways spreading the word, and generating a positive response from both fronts. That’s the wonder of the internet: it’s so diverse that we need all sorts of different avenues to effect the greatest amount of change.
Also, thanks for the comment, and if you continue reading my blog (and I hope you will!) please don’t feel the need to make sure I won’t be offended by what you’re saying. The wonder of blogs is the interaction with people of all races and creeds, and just because I have a different opinion on the matter than you doesn’t mean that we can’t get along or converse civilly.
I’ll definitely check out your blog after my exams, and perhaps become a regular reader. Just looking at the titles of your 2 previous posts and I’m already interested.