This picture might look like a scene from one of those violent movies which you watch on television, the main character or some villian or terrorists carry arms, setting of to engage their opposing characters in a gun fight. However, the shocking fact is that this picture is anything but fiction, and is actually the picture of the killer in the United States Virginia Tech University massacre.
This man in the picture, is actually Cho Seung-Hui, a korean student at the university itself. Before the incident itself, who would have thought that such an incident would actually occur, right in the midst of a school, a university in fact, and this actually causes great controversy to not only the American society, but the world, and as the revelation of the chain of events that occured comes to light, there are more issues and lessons that we can take from this incident.
Firstly, the fact that a student can carry a gun and run around in school, killing students is like a storyline that occurs in badly written movies. In actual fact, many would actually think it deviates from reality, even absurd, to think that such an incident could occur in a school. As this incident begins to unravel itself to the world, there are several things we can question about it. One of it, would be that, how did Cho, the antagonists, even laid his hands on the guns that he used to kill the 32 other people. Where did he get his guns? A check at BBC news website ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/despatches/americas/23433.stm) actually shows that almost any individual in US can purchase and own a gun. This ownership of a gun, which especially shown in this incident, is a weapon of great destruction. Is it necessary then, to allow individuals, especially ordinary citizens to own a gun? What is the rationale of the government then, to allow guns to be carried around by any person in the country?
Secondly, another issue which we can think about is: What is the purpose of a school? What is the definition of a school? A search online (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/school) on the word school at www.dictionary.com actually gives up to 20 different results regarding the word school. However, most of it only includes it being a place where people learn and acquire skills to work in society in future. However, in this modern world, is it not the time, to change this whole definition, to include psychological education as well as character development as well? Education, does not refer only to the academic aspect alone. To allow a person to be equpped with skills, but not the ethnics and morals- is it appropriate? In educating a person, or in a school, a group of people, is it not efficient if the students are psychologically sound and at ease? The modern world has changed, and so should passe definitions n ideas. Modern education should take care of the psychological growth of the student as well. Had the college took notice of Cho's psychological well-being, would such a tragedy had taken place?
Though hypothetical the arguments might have been, but at least it is better to take pre-emptive action than regret it after. After all, prevention is better than cure.
