Hope Springs Eternal

April 24, 2007

The beginning of this past week was incredibly somber. The tragedy that occurred on Monday at Virginia Tech, although hours away, hit close to home. Every college nationwide is feeling the impact of the shootings right now. I cannot even imagine the pain that the students and members of the faculty at Virginia Tech are feeling. My heart goes out to them.

For the first few hours after hearing about the shooting all I could feel was disgust and confusion. I kept asking myself, “Why do we hurt each other? Why do we kill? Why are educational institutions continually the forum for these horrors?” Ultimately, I began to feel a sense of urgency and doom for the human race. A few hours later, though, I saw a few things that made me reevaluate my cynicism. I saw a banner spread out on a table in our Union Building and students crowding around to send their messages of concern and condolence to Virginia Tech. I saw students and teachers taking a step back and discussing how, in this time of pain, we must come together as communities to support each other and the victims. I saw something human; a humanness that I have never recognized in murderers, although such instances have often led me to believe that some of the horrible things we do to people are because we are human. Some may call it hope. Some may call it optimism. Some may call it ignorance. But, I cannot believe that humans, even through all the war and tragedy, are inherently evil.

A professor of mine brought up a good point about the mourning many people are going through in regards to Virginia Tech. He said that although he does not believe the fact that people are in mourning over Virginia Tech to be a bad thing, he does have to wonder why the same condolences don’t go out to international atrocities. I would have to agree that a death is a death regardless of some invisible line we draw between countries. I do believe, however, that the pain is justifiably different in the fact that this is receiving much more press coverage than a great deal of what happens internationally. We know literally everything about this massacre and literally nothing about the same type of violence outside of our country.

As you can see, this past week has been a time of mourning, questioning, and reflection for many people. Life continued in spite of it all, as it always does. By the end of the week the Moravian vibe was a little more upbeat, although still sensitive and concerned.

On the complete flip side of things, Moravian’s 15th President, Christopher Thomforde, was inaugurated this past weekend. Friday commenced with a parade down Main Street that included much of our student body as well as guests, alumni, faculty, and staff members. After, there was a picnic and a spectacular fireworks show directly over our quad. The next morning (Saturday) was the President’s inaugural ceremony. Because of my involvement on campus I was asked to precess in full robes along with the faculty, a few other students, and representatives from schools like Moravian. Many of my professors looked as though they were ready to attend Hogwarts. During the inaugural ceremony representatives from all walks of Moravian and the Lehigh Valley gave President Thomforde their well wishes and toward the end, President Thomforde gave a speech. After the inaugural ceremony there was another picnic, complete with a bowtie cake in honor of President Thomforde’s love of the accessory.

That night the festivities continued. Much of the Moravian community dressed up for the inaugural gala, which included dinner and dancing. Not only did I enjoy a fantastic meal, but I also was able to witness a professor break dance. It was also great to see so many people dressed up and mingling.

As the weekend came to a close I started to feel nostalgic about the end of the semester. Half of my undergraduate career is over and it feels as though it has just begun! I am also going to be away from Moravian next year to attend a Washington Semester as well as a semester abroad, so it is almost as though I am graduating for a year and then coming back for one more. I am both excited about what lies ahead and sad to see many of my current memories turn into the past.

With that in mind, I suppose this is goodbye (at least for now). I hope all of you devoted readers enjoy not only your summers, but also everything else that life has to offer. In fact, I would encourage you to get off of your computers and spend some time outside and/or with your friends and family. If I have learned anything this year, it is the importance of moments of human interaction. So with that, adieu, I am off to experience the world.

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