Life destroyed by the cruel action of another human being is difficult to understand. On Monday, April 16 a 23 year old South Korean immigrant named Cho Seung-Hui took the lives of 32 Virginia Tech students. Cho ended his killing rampage by taking his own life. The coming days will be filled with countless news stories dedicated to exploring the actions of this young man: Who was Cho? What drove him to such an act of violence? Who is to blame? How can we prevent this from happening again?
Adding insult to injury, far too many will abuse this story to advance their own agenda. In the political arena some see this as an opportunity to win elections, so they blame George Bush, citing his lackluster support for gun control laws. Others, seeking electoral power, blame liberals for their policies that promote illegal immigration without restraint. Law enforcement is being hounded for its inability to stop Cho and the VaTech administration is under fire because they did not do enough to make students aware of the danger and keep them safe. Some religious groups have turned their sights on our American culture and blame Monday’s violence on Hollywood movies, TV dramas and blood-sport video games. While all these viewpoints are interesting topics for debate, I am left wondering, do any of these voices help us understand what has happened?
If we cut through the chatter, I think the answer is quite clear, but difficult to face.
Who was Cho? He was a man, no different than you or I. He was a man who experienced joy, sorrow, pain, stress, and pleasure; a man capable of unspeakable wickedness.
What drove him to such an act of violence? He was made capable of such evil, because he had no hope. Man was created by God to have relationship; relationship with God, with others and with ourselves. When anyone lives their life isolated from Divine-relationships, they end up in despair.
Who is to blame? Cho is to blame, no one else! The Devil did not make Cho do it, his Mom is not at fault, and rich people did not pull the trigger. Cho was driven by his own sin and no government policy, no individual politician and no law could ever have stopped him.
How can we prevent this from happening again? We can’t prevent this from happening again and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something. Every age, every culture and every people have experienced this kind of wickedness and we are no exception.
Everyone needs an enemy to blame; George Bush, Republicans, Democrats, Christians, illegal immigrants, the NRA, Muslim extremists or even Cho himself can become the enemy. Every single one of us will be tempted to make excuses and avoid the hard truth. Despite all of our advanced knowledge and enlightened ways, Americans are still human beings and every single person reading this is capable of becoming the next lone gunman. If any good can come from the death of 33 human beings, let it be that you will not become the next Cho Seung-Hui. Find hope! Find freedom! Find relationship! Find salvation in Jesus!
This article was published in Apr. 25, 2007 issue of our local paper, The Gazette.
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