On December 14th, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother in her own home, drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School to kill 20 children and six adults, and ended the killing spree by committing suicide, inside the school. It has been referenced as “the second worst massacre” in America, being topped by the slaughter at Virginia Tech in 2007. There have been at least 12 major shootings in schools across America in 2011 and 2012 alone. While statistics are powerful, 20 children shot dead, just for going to school in the morning, is sickening alone.
Newtown has sparked a nation-wide conversation, about the evident decline in morality among Americans. On December 15th, a Fox News analyst commented, “we have a lack of collective morality” in the United States, which goes hand in hand with an apathetic attitude towards violence, that has developed for several reasons in recent history. The frequent argument that younger generations are obsessed with technology, and are therefore more inclined to be involved in violence can seem like a bit of a stretch. However, the shooting in Newtown supports that young generations have, for some reason, drifted from valuing human life, and our mutual trust among one another, and security, have consequently been sacrificed.
Realizing all of this made me feel utterly helpless. Between watching terrorized children running and screaming from their school, interviews with their distraught parents, and President Obama choke back tears as he addressed the nation, I saw that this was not a random accident. Instead, it points to a larger issue, that we now live in a country where we hear about shootings more often than acts of kindness, and a clear lack of accountability for the safety and well-being of one another is no longer the priority, but instead, an exceptional occurrence.
In light of the Newtown tragedy, I am reminded of how unique and valuable Rhodes is, not only to those of us who live and study there, but to our country’s movement towards a more compassionate society. We hold each other and ourselves to a standard above our own interests. Our system is rooted in the Honor Code that we sign as freshmen, and is reinforced by our mutual compassion for one another, which grows over years of being forced to actually get to know each other because of the nature of our small and close-knit community.
Rhodes is not immune to ugliness or violence by any means, but its foundational commitment to morality, leaves us with responsibility to spread what we have learned with the world, once we go our separate ways. A “lack of collective morality” seems impossible to reverse. Still, while some people might not even know our small school exists, we have more than intelligence to contribute to our communities- that is, revitalizing the diminishing concept of a conscious that your actions, words, and behavior affect the people around you, and that this world is not only about your needs, but the people you share it with.
Please keep Newtown in your prayers. Check out how you can help the victims of the Newtown Shooting by visiting the United Way of Western Connecticut’s webpage: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Newtown-Sandy-Hook-Announcement.html?soid=1101979468367&aid=u022UJodt2o
Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Alex Brandon via BusinessInsider