Good Morning America?

The morning of April 16, 2007 was the day that Americans hoped they would never have to wake up to. On this day, occurred the most horrific shooting of US history. A 23-year old South Korean student by the name of Cho Seung-Hui shot and killed 33 (including himself) of his fellow Virginia Tech schoolmates with the use of a 9mm Glock pistol and a 22 caliber handgun. The shooting rampage started at around 7:30 am and ended shortly before 11am. This incident was even worse than what occurred in Columbine, Colorado 8 years ago (April 20,1999, incidentally also in the same month of April). Police and FBI are all still wondering about what triggered this deadly massacre.

While authorities are still investigating for more answers, big media entities like CNN and Fox News are having a heyday broadcasting and re-enacting the event. Though am not an avid fan of American journalism, I must give them credit for the good job they've done on piecing up the bits of information together. They're so good in extemporaneously recreating the scenes. As the viewer, you get glued to the tube, literally. It's close to watching a blockbuster hit, but better coz its reality.

Another thing which these news groups are particularly good at, are creating subplots (stories within the story), whether it be the victim's or the shooter's past life. One interesting subplot, was the life of one of Cho's victims - Liviu Librescu. He was a Romanian-American professor teaching Aeronautic Engineering. He is considered by many of his surviving students to be a hero.

This was what transpired: "My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Librescu's son, Joe Librescu, said Tuesday in a telephone interview from his home outside Tel Aviv. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."

I just wonder what coursed through his mind upon meeting the shooter face to face. He must've thought: This is it, this is how I'm going to die. What made this subplot really stand out from the rest, was the fact that he was a former Holocaust survivor. He survived the cruelty of the Nazis but ended up being killed by a college student. His sacrifice though was not in vain, because of him all of his students lived to tell the deadly tale. His sacrifice is also being made the totem of heroism across all news channels in America, which is another thing which they (news groups) are really good at - profiting from other people's tragedies.

They say, there's no news like bad news. And this rings true none better than to the media groups. Tragedies increase viewerships, and an increase in viewership ratings boosts investor confidence which in turn increases revenues from sponsorships and advertisements. No wonder I was so hooked up with the news last night. Their news crew (or creative crew in this matter) were instructed to come up with best storylines possible. No wonder its still in the Breaking News Section in CNN and Fox News though the news is already 2 days old. I was right after all, I was indeed watching a blockbuster movie! Enough with the media's shortcomings, they're too many to mention anyway.

I want to focus on another topic which may be relevant to this matter. I want to talk about why people in America (or is it all around the world?) stop and reflect only when something tragic happens? Right after this shooting incident, thousands of university students gathered around their Drill Field to hold a vigil and to show support to one another. They kept on quoting that the Hokie spirit will live on (Hokie being their School moniker). And in fact, one university student confessed: "We needed this."

Just like after 9/11, New Yorkers were greeting each other in the streets. New Yorkers were never famous for their courtesy before. They came together to ground zero to help out in cleaning the debris. They congregated in the streets to show their appreciation to the firemen and policemen who lost their lives. In short, New York became a better place to live after 9/11.

Why does it take death to awaken us from our insensitivities? Why does it take death to unite us? Why does it take death to create changes in this ailing society? Its like death is the key catalyst in this world of living. Without it, no one moves, no one budges, no one gives an inch, no one cares, no one feels, no one matters.

The knowledge of death changes lives. One does not continue to live his old ways knowing that tomorrow he shall die. Death is an important ingredient to life. Without it, life is devoid of its color and flavor.

Sometimes it takes death to break the redundancy of living and appreciate all its trivialities...