The below is a letter I write to a local Newspaper (North Renfrew Times in Deep River, Ontario, Canada) – and this letter got published in their edition of Wednesday 19 December 2012.
The subject is the shooting at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, USA on Friday 14 December 2012 – where some 26 people were massacred – including 20 innocent elemenatry school kids.
16 December 2012
Anguish for Shooting in a school
I am anguished. So are many people in our community. My heart is really pained to see so many innocent young children killed recently (Friday 14 December 2012) at an elementary school (the Sandy Hook school) Newtown, Connecticut. Some 20 young innocent children lost their lives – and their future is obliterated by a mad gunman.
The societal phenomena about periodic shooting that takes place at a school or an educational institution has become a repetitive occurrence in our lives in the Western societies but more so here in North America. It so happens that this occurrence is more frequent in USA but also here in Canada we really are not immune.
In recent Ottawa Citizen, it was stated that ” The magazine Mother Jones has reported that since 1982 there have been ” at least 61 mass murders carried out with firearms in the country (USA) . It said in most cases the weapons were obtained legally.”
Here is Canada we have our own statistics.
On April 28, 1989 : One student killed, one wounded at W. R. Myers High School in first fatal high school shooting in Canada in 20 years. The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, had dropped out of school after he was severely ostracized by his classmates.
On December 6, 1989 : Twenty-five-year-old Marc Lepine killed 14 women and wounded a further 13 people at the École Polytechnique at the University of Montreal in the worst school massacre in Canada”™s history.
On September. 13, 2006 : Kimveer Gill, 25, opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon at Dawson College in Montreal, Canada . Anastasia De Sousa, 18, died and more than a dozen students and faculty were wounded before Gill killed himself.
It always is tragic when a large number of people lose their lives, but it is worse when the deaths are of children.
Many lives are shattered. Happiness is lost for parents, grandparents and families at a time when all are getting in the revelry of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour. This celebratory mood is now subdued by this killing by a madman.
As a grandfather, I find myself numbed and really cannot fathom as to what motivates someone to go on a shooting rampage. The world is getting a bit too lax in the discipline and also on the love and care of the humanity.
I believe that we all need to look into the mirror of our heart and ask as to what is wrong with ourselves and our society that our schools have become targets for “satanic ” attacks . The expectations and entitlements have risen so much so that any reduction (perceived or real) bring about disaffection. The disaffected people who are angry at the world seek out the vulnerable and thus schools are the easiest targets to take down large number of innocent victims.
I feel anguished that I am so helpless having no way to improve the society except to pray that the message of peace and love – appropriate for the season – is appreciated by all and adopted wholeheartedly.
God bless the souls who are no longer with us.
Pravin Shah