Surprised - Not Shocked

I'm surprised by the events that took place this week at Virginia Tech University. Surprised, but not shocked. Waco shocked me. Oklahoma City shocked me. The killing rampage at Columbine H.S. shocked me. 9/11 happened and that shocked me. So another senseless act of violence against people going about the activities of their lives does not shock me. Not in America. Not anymore.

I feel sadness for the families, friends, and students of VTU, but it is just a small part of the deep sadness I feel for those of us who remember a time before presidential assassinations, mass killings by government agents, students as killing machines, and airplanes used as bombs. Hope and honor and freedom from mental, emotional, and social assault is what we have lost. I mourn the death of my own idealism and optimism. I'm beyond a hope that "something will change."

Instead, I make my world smaller, I keep my attention and emotions closer. I find joy and hope in the individuals in my personal life. My delight comes from the innocence and naturalness of my animals. My honor and pride comes from the priveledge of being loved and from living in a world where the holy still roam and beauty can be found in a rock formation. That and the air I breathe is all there is.