I first visited Virginia Tech in 1998, when I was in Roanoke on business, and had some time to roam the area. Like many things in VA, Blacksburg was quaint and the campus charming. The peaceful air of the place never would have inspired me to conceive of anything like Monday’s shooting.
The magnitude of this tragedy could lead one into a discussion of handgun laws in America, their laxness, and the resulting millions of firearms that are privately owned. But that discussion would do nothing to soothe the grieving, or assist the recovering victims. So I’ll get into none of that, but just express profound sorrow instead. In the scope of this disaster, art consulting suddenly seems rather unimportant.
Is anything we do worthwhile in the face of such tragedies? Anyway, your tips are important to me. -dp
Glad you find them worthwhile. Even in times of seeming irrelevance, I’d like to believe I can serve a useful purpose.
Just remember.
“Art is often discounted as unimportant, when in reality it’s just as important, in my opinion, as the job of the legislator, the job of the farmer, the job of the teacher and the job of the mother. When artists are on top of their game, instead of stroking society and letting it know everything is OK, they cause that society to question itself. In a democracy this is essential.”
Paul Dorrell “Living the Artist’s Life”
Where do you guys get this stuff?
“that discussion would do nothing to soothe the grieving, or assist the recovering victims. So I’ll get into none of that, but just express profound sorrow instead”
This seems like a cop out.
Given that there’s almost certainly nothing we can do to soothe the grieving, or assist the recovering victims, why not do something constructive – like a discussion, immediately?
Unless one is directly involved, any discussion instead of the public expression of private sorrow is surely of greater benefit to people who hopefully won’t find themselves grieving in the future.
The constant argument of now not being the time to seek solutions only brings the next horror closer. Do we really have that time?
Astute observation. But I would still defer for a week out of respect; losing a loved one to violence is a very hard, often lifelong burden of grief. Start it on your blog, if you like. There’s no want of topic regarding American gun control, its lack, and the resulting tragedies.
What would Vonnegut say? “So it goes?” Perhaps.