I'm in sales and the last week seemed to be a very down week for our whole branch. I KNEW what was going on with me. I was hurting over VA Tech. I live in Columbine Valley, two blocks from Columbine High School and April always hangs heavy here in the Valley.
I lived in Blacksburg for seven years while my husband earned tenure as a professor at Tech in the School of Architecture. Charlie Steger was Dean of Architecture when I was there. His wife picked me up to welcome me, a new faculty wife, to the New Faculty Women's Tea.
I could see the pain in Dr. Steger's eyes just like I saw the pain in Frank DeAngelis' eyes after Columbine. Compassion, great sadness, wanting to hold them and heal their pychic wounds. That's what I felt. And if I felt that way, the rest of the world felt that way. At least here in Colorado. So "Bidnez" was down last week. We'll pull ourselves up again. Just wait till Monday the 30th!
There is nothing intrinsic to Blacksburg or Littleton that make them a magnet for violent rampages. The sad thing is, the vulnerability is everywhere. I recommend reading this book Violence by James Gilligan to better understand the reasons we live in a society awash in testosterone-fueled brutality.
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