They Shoot Students, Don't They?

Upon my return to the USA from a business engagement in Spain, I learned about the tragedy that took place on the campus of Northern Illinois University. Being an alumnus from NIU and having taught classes in the very building where this horrific tragedy occurred, the news, to say the least, struck home. And since I also have an intimate connection to Virginia Tech, the situation at Northern hit me especially hard.

Putting the pathology and personal history of the shooters in both cases aside, I immediately found myself empathizing and sympathizing with the victims, not only the students but also their families, the faculty, the staff, and the community-at-large (broadly-defined to include those who aren't necessarily affiliated in any way with either institution).

I've been reflecting seriously upon the apparent meaninglessness of what had happened in the sleepy town of DeKalb, Illinois, and, to be sure, wish in my heart and soul that things would have been different. This said, I also know that there are "seeds of meaning" that have yet to be discovered from this tragedy and that the students who were killed should always be remembered. While they may not have been given the opportunity to live a "full" and "long" life, by whatever standards we may choose to employ, their lives nonetheless were meaningful. And while we mourn their unfortunate deaths, we should also celebrate their lives. Moreover, in both life and death, there is meaning, should we be willing and able to look for it.

The thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi writes: "It's never too late to bend and kiss the earth." The meaningfulness of life, as we know it and don't know it, is manifest everywhere on this fragile planet. Wherever we are and whatever we do, it is this very existence of life that calls us to meaning. Let's all celebrate the lives of the victims of tragedies like what occurred at NIU by not taking our lives for granted. Please don't do that! The miracle of what is life deserves more from us. So, PeopleJammers, how are you inviting life into your lives? How are you bending and kissing this earthly experience?