reply posted on 19-4-2007 @ 07:52 AM by grover
“Here There Be Monsters”
In the old days when cartographers came to unexplored areas of the world, they left it blank and either drew in dragons or wrote, “Here there be
monsters.” Of course we now know that there are no monsters lurking on the edges of the world; but alas, we cannot say the same about the perimeters
of the human mind and consciousness. This week, unfortunately, we have become acquainted with one of those monsters, Cho Seung Hei.
The events at Virginia Tech Monday are horrifying, they tear at the soul and make one want to reach out some way with a hug, a word of comfort; an
act of mercy, prayers for the living and prayers for the dead. The tears flow, the gut clinches but still there is no relief.
Perhaps because it is so local, and so senseless, I have found the massacre to be the most moving and heart wrenching event since 9/11.
How did this happen? Apparently there were dozens of warning signs, but still 33 are dead, 29 are wounded. By all accounts this young man had all
the bells and whistles going to warn people that, here there be monsters. Some it seems picked up on them, but still nothing was done. Why? Simply
put, we really don't want to believe that another soul; much less one so young, can be so damaged, so toxic as to be dangerous to not just themselves
but to others as well. We just don't want to believe that someone can be so lost and so full of anger and hate that they can be coldblooded enough to
plan and execute such an event. Yes, there are terrorists. Yes, there are mass murderers and war lords, criminals, and gangs; but one so young. No, it
cannot be. The same was true at Columbine. No one wanted to believe, despite all the warnings that those two young men, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
could commit such a premeditated act with such, dare we say, glee. Here there be monsters. And now, Cho Seung Hei. Not only did he planned his act
out, in advance, he stopped after killing two, made a package advertising, and justifying his act with words, with video, with audio and with photos,
and then mailed it off to NBC. Here there be monsters.
I watched what they showed of the video on the news last night, I saw the photos and heard the voice. Since then I have seen more on line and the
only thing I can ask is, My God what happened to this young man's soul to turn him into that... that... monster we all saw last night?
Was the young man insane, mentally unbalanced, delusional? No sane person commits acts like this. At the same time he was smart enough and talented
enough to get into Virginia Tech. He was functional enough to make it as far as senior, no easy task. Still, we are lucky to know what goes on inside
our own heads, much less another's. What ghosts haunt us at night? What longings urge our loins? What dark gods command their worship... what
sacrifice required? Beyond the borders of our conscious, our waking mind, here there be monsters. This young man deemed himself a victim somehow who
had no choice in what he did. But, look, if you can, at his face in that horrible video and those grim photographs... you see a face not just sculpted
with hate, but a being, a child of God adrift from his soul. It is not just mental illness. many suffer from some sort of disorder of the mind, but
they do not kill 32 people. Many people are angry at the vicissitudes of life but they do not plot murder. Many people feel that they have been
treated unfairly but they do not produce blood curdling videos of their angst and send them off to media outlets. What happened to this young man?
That is what I want to know. And probably that is the one question, the only real question, that will forever go unanswered.
I am not one to hold grudges or to hatefully condemn someone, especially after the have already condemned themselves. I mourn the senseless deaths,
the lives cut short, the violence of it all but I also will mourn this young man, Cho Seung Hei for the personal hell he found himself in and unable
to extract himself from. No soul should ever have to go through that. But, also I mourn for his parents; Oh God the agony, the shame and the grief
they must be going through. It is bad enough to lose a child, much less to lose a child this way. may God bless and keep them safe. May God bless and
keep the victims safe. May God bless and keep us all.
