Virginia Tech - Heros and Victims and Education

In the wake of the Virginia tech massacre, once again the anti gun groups are taking advantage of another tragedy and calling for tougher gun laws. This in spite of the fact that tougher gun laws would not have made the killer any less mentally ill or any less likely to kill.

The real tragedy here, and the problem that really needs to be addressed, is how few of the victims and intended victims did anything to defend themselves and/or others. In the rooms where there were quick thinking people willing to act, there were fewer casualties. Unfortunately, most people were shot while cowering on the floor. This one fact was the is the major contributing factor to the body count.

I feel for the families of the victims. Any time a person looses a loved one, whether to a vehicle accident, drowning, disease, forces of nature or acts of human violence, it is a devastating blow from which some never fully recover. But, I am at a loss to answer why, time and time again, people either make choices that put themselves in a dangerous situation, or when they inadvertently find themselves in one, do nothing to try to get themselves out of it.


Granted, fear is a powerful force. The normal reaction is a fight or flee response. In a situation where there is no time to react, death is almost a certainty. When there is no escape route, the only viable option is to defend yourself, even if that option seems futile. Yet, it seems the majority of the population, when confronted with a choice, will invariably sit and wait, and hope the danger will simply pass over them.

Did those students and teachers deserve to die? No! Had any of them committed any offense that warranted death? Of course not! But did any of them demonstrate a love of life so strong that they were able to face mortal danger to save themselves or others? Unfortunately, precious few. And those that did were ill prepared for the task. There is the true tragedy.

In days gone by, we taught our children to defend themselves, not so they could bully others, but so they could defend themselves against bullies. Conventional wisdom tells us there are always bullies in the world, and the best way to keep a bully from acting on his cowardly impulses is to fight back. For some time now, society has taught our children to run away from trouble, we have taught them to be afraid instead of being brave, and it has cost us dearly.

On 9/11, three of four aircraft were flown to their targets without any significant resistance from the passengers, and the hijackers were only armed with box cutters. Only the passengers in the fourth aircraft, when they realized their fate, resigned themselves to do something about their situation. It can be assumed that none of them wished to die for their efforts, but it can be assumed they evaluated the risk, and decided to act because doing nothing meant certain death.

We call people who act in this manner heroes. The fact that all the passengers and crew of flight 93 died is overshadowed by the untold numbers they saved. It could be argued that most heroes, given the choice, would have preferred not being in the position that required them to act. Their uppermost thoughts and hopes may have been of self preservation. What is certain is that they made a conscious decision to confront their attackers. They were brave.

We need to teach our children to be brave. We need to get our schools to punish the bully, and praise the child who stands up against the bully, whether defending him or herself or defending others. We need to teach our children self defense. They need to read stories of bravery and self sacrifice. They need to be prepared for the certain and uncertain dangers in the world. They need to be taught to value the lives of others, and that there are some things worth dying for. That life, liberty, and the pursuit of happines are never free, and that each generation they are purchased with the ultimate sacrafice. Our children need to grow up learning not to be afraid. Everybody dies. It is how we die that determines our character.