My thoughts on the school shooting.
Before I begin my rambling thoughts, I would like to say that I am so sorry that so many people were hurt, not just the victims, but their families as well. May the thoughts and prayers of myself and the rest of the world be a small comfort in this time of great grief.
That being said. . .
What makes a person commit murder? What drives a person to end life, his own or another? I can't speak for everyone else who has ever wanted to or has succeeded in committing suicide, but I know that there is a pit of despair that seems endless and too dark to navigate. I don't know if the young man, Cho, left he was in this pit, but I am led to assume as much from what I have read in the media about his writings and his personality.
Of course, these may be greatly exaggerated versions of the opinions of his acquaintances, but this exaggeration is only natural given their shock and grief. As to the fact at hand, he did kill 32 people and injure several others before taking his own life. His reason for taking others with him will never be fully known or understood.
It saddens me to know that in this time of over-medicating and numbness, there are still people who genuinely need help. These people do not seek help for reasons known only to themselves, which leaves me to speculate as to what those reasons are. My only conclusions are that there is still a horrible stigma attached to the status of a person's mental health and the need to seek help to improve said health.
Why is it that people still believe that it is a flaw in one's character and a shame to one's family to need and accept help? Why do people still believe that we should all be self-sufficient when it come to mental health? Why is it that counseling and medication are still a taboo to so many people? Do they never feel the need to talk to someone about their problems? Do they never feel overwhelmed?
As a person who has believed this taboo and bought into the small-minded mentality that one should always keep one's problems to oneself, it saddens me to know that there is still such a strong current of belief in this stigma. While knowledge and education will help many, over time, to understand the true working of the mind and the need for a little help every now and then, it will never be enough as so many people still, especially in this time of pop culture and glamour, concern themselves with the opinions and gossipings of others.
There is a great lesson to be learned from this horrible act, which will be eclipsed be the media's need to gore-ify this act and sensationalize the reports of what happened in the name of ratings. The lesson the world should learn form this tragedy is that every person feels the pressures applied by the media, peers, parents, and oneself; and that there is no shame in asking for help. "No man is an island."
That being said. . .
What makes a person commit murder? What drives a person to end life, his own or another? I can't speak for everyone else who has ever wanted to or has succeeded in committing suicide, but I know that there is a pit of despair that seems endless and too dark to navigate. I don't know if the young man, Cho, left he was in this pit, but I am led to assume as much from what I have read in the media about his writings and his personality.
Of course, these may be greatly exaggerated versions of the opinions of his acquaintances, but this exaggeration is only natural given their shock and grief. As to the fact at hand, he did kill 32 people and injure several others before taking his own life. His reason for taking others with him will never be fully known or understood.
It saddens me to know that in this time of over-medicating and numbness, there are still people who genuinely need help. These people do not seek help for reasons known only to themselves, which leaves me to speculate as to what those reasons are. My only conclusions are that there is still a horrible stigma attached to the status of a person's mental health and the need to seek help to improve said health.
Why is it that people still believe that it is a flaw in one's character and a shame to one's family to need and accept help? Why do people still believe that we should all be self-sufficient when it come to mental health? Why is it that counseling and medication are still a taboo to so many people? Do they never feel the need to talk to someone about their problems? Do they never feel overwhelmed?
As a person who has believed this taboo and bought into the small-minded mentality that one should always keep one's problems to oneself, it saddens me to know that there is still such a strong current of belief in this stigma. While knowledge and education will help many, over time, to understand the true working of the mind and the need for a little help every now and then, it will never be enough as so many people still, especially in this time of pop culture and glamour, concern themselves with the opinions and gossipings of others.
There is a great lesson to be learned from this horrible act, which will be eclipsed be the media's need to gore-ify this act and sensationalize the reports of what happened in the name of ratings. The lesson the world should learn form this tragedy is that every person feels the pressures applied by the media, peers, parents, and oneself; and that there is no shame in asking for help. "No man is an island."