virginia tech shooting

the shooting today at virginia tech sent chills to my core. what is happening in this world? it's not just about the guns; it's about the people. gun control can only do so much. there's something intrinsically festering in this culture/society that seems to push people beyond self-control, crossing a certain line of humanity.

my sister and i had a discussion about the incident. she told me about the posts on nytimes.com where people are focused on blaming the lack of gun control in this country. yes, i agree that it doesn't hurt to limit the types of guns available to the public - you don't need anything more than a simple handgun that holds 6 bullets at a time for defense (most people probably can't handle anything more complicated than a simple handgun) and/or a rifle for hunting. but this is such the typical american/western attitude to deal with a problem. as with medical care, the response is to cope with the symptoms instead of getting to the core of the problem and work on PREVENTION. yes, we have some of the most advanced medical care in the world in terms of surgery and treatments for illnesses, but the emphasis should placed on reevaluating our lifestyle that would enhance preventing these illnesses. to paraphrase my sister, the american/western way is "a bandaid to the rescue."

i wonder if we deal with symptoms instead of addressing the underlying issue because it's simply easier. it is what's apparent; half the work is already done. getting to the underlying issue involves finding it and then thinking of solutions to resolve it. i also wonder if capitalism has had a hand in encouraging/perpetuating this american/western attitude. it's more profitable to provide a solution to the symptoms of a problem and sustain the viability of problem than to solve the problem and gain no profit once the problem dissipates.

take u.s. health care again. american health care is one of the most expensive in the world, and the cost only keeps rising. technological advancement also keeps improving, justifying the rising cost. wouldn't it be cheaper, however, if we can focus on our diet and exercise that attribute to a lot of the diseases we develop in our lifetime? not that diet and exercise would solve all medical problems, but it would certainly help restrain the rising number of people who have cardiovascular disorders needing open-heart surgeries and children who develop type 2 diabetes before they hit puberty. i'm not even talking about special diets like atkins and south beach. just eat fresh food that involves as little chemical processing as possible. be more active and climb the stairs instead of relying on the elevator. simple, inexpensive acts that hit the core of the problem. and i'm not saying that we shouldn't continue progress on technology to treat illnesses; it just shouldn't be our main focus.

but maybe it's not such a bad thing to think in terms of profit. maybe it's thinking about profit in monetary terms that's the problem. what if we start thinking about profit in terms of our personal well-being? what good is money if it doesn't contribute to our physical and mental well-being?

going back to the shooting, instead of screaming at congress for more gun regulations, we should address the deeper issue at hand. this gunman is obviously trying to get attention, like the kids in columbine. alienation and desperation will push someone to cross the line to do something so inhumane.

my deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy.