Try as I might, I'm unable to launch into cyberspace the posting about cloth diapers I had planned for today and am instead drawn to write about the tragic shooting at VA Tech. As I considered all the angles that would link the shooting to raising a baby green, I found myself short on possibilities. But after watching the news footage and reading about victims young and old, I am struck--as are we all--by the sense of community displayed at this school. I am reminded that it does indeed take a village to raise a child--perhaps the first "green" idea in history.
One of my friends who teaches in the English Department at VA Tech told me all he wanted to do was get back in the classroom and "hug" his students. His fatherly sentiments warmed my heart. In this day and age where it's unlawful to touch a high school student, it seems as if our village has been stripped bare. As a community, we no longer possess the tools to see each other's children to safety.
I'm someone who has sat on both sides of the classroom desk, and I consider myself "raised" by my teachers, my peers, the parents of my friends and even former students. How would my life have turned out if that friendly professor hadn't made me believe I could write? If my old boss hadn't given me his house to stay at when I was going through a divorce? If my former student--a war refugee from Afghanistan--hadn't convinced me my pregnancy would turn out okay?
And I am one of the lucky ones. What about children who have no one to turn to, or else feel they can't? Of course, that's not to excuse violence of any sort. But the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh wrote a touching editorial about this very thing:
"It is the reality of our immigrants that parents are so busy making a living that it's not easy for them to have dialogue with young children... we should think about whether our society or our community abroad has been negligent in preventing conditions that could lead to such an aberration."
Earlier tonight, when the two children from across the street came over to chat, I made sure to stop what I was doing as they detailed the youngest's recent trip to the hospital. I sometimes feel these girls don't have many people who take the time to listen to them. I should know--I'm usually one of the culprits. From now on, I pledge to do better.
I want my village back.
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