Status Post Virginia Tech: The Grass Is Not Always Greener

Mark the Date: April 30, 2007

STATUS POST VIRGINIA TECH: THE GRASS IS NOT ALWAYS GREENER
by Sally Lo

Days have passed since the bloody massacre at Virginia Tech. Much has been written about the senseless death of 32 victims in the hands of lone gunman, Seung-hui Cho. Many miles away here in the Philippines, I watch the news daily hoping to catch every bit of update about the VT killings.

I could have been numbed by the repetitive sight of bloodied bodies and the pure, unadulterated evil gleaming in Cho’s eyes as he brandished the handguns. But no matter how many times the scenes are shown, I couldn’t help but feel the pain and anguish of the hapless victim’s families. I cannot begin to imagine the agony that the survivors and the bereaved families are going through at the moment. It could be that those killed were mostly about the same age as my own children. Who can bear the thought of losing a child? The thought of such loss is so overpowering that I find myself having to switch channels lest I suffocate from the deep sense of grief that grips my entire being.

My thought goes to the Cho family too. “He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare,” said Sun-Kyung Cho in their family statement on the massacre at VT. Seung-hui’s sister and parents will have to live in the nightmare for the rest of their lives. In all honesty, I do feel sorry for them. They are left to face the anger and outrage of VT families and the world over senseless killings.

Seung-hui Cho was portrayed as a crazed, misdirected mass murderer whose ferocity was fueled by deeply-rooted anger. He was angry at the rich and the privileged, and probably at being picked on for being different. He was angry at everything imaginable and this anger sent him on a shooting rampage. He was, as I see it, also a victim. He was the victim of his past; his own unhappiness and discontentment gnawed at his very soul until he was reduced to his seething, irrational, murderous state.

I wonder if things would have been different for Seung-hui had he and his family not left South Korea. Would he be spared from thoughts of persecution that eventually ravaged his mind and spirit? Would he have grown into a happy, well-adjusted young man? Would Virginia Tech be spared of the tragedy had he and his family not moved to the USA?

I am very certain that his parents have all good intentions for moving to America. To many Asians, America is the Land of Promise. Like all well meaning parents, Seung-hui’s probably wanted to prepare a better future for their children. The kids would get better education and will have better opportunities. Such benefits would be passed on to the grandchildren. The future is in America. Sadly though for Seung-hui and his parents, that future was brought to naught.

Like many Asians, I too once fancied moving to America or Australia — anywhere but here. Somehow when that opportunity presented itself many years ago, I chose to decline it. For the next few years, I was left wondering whether or not I made the right decision. You see, I was afraid of change. I was afraid of moving out of the comfort zone called home, which to me was and will always be the Philippines. It’s bad enough that I had to restart my life at one point from square one (but that’s another story). To have to restart my life outside of my comfort zone would be Mission: Impossible.

Now after Virginia Tech, I have come to a personal conclusion that life is happier in my comfort zone. Sure, there may be lesser opportunities, but I can use whatever opportunities I have to create my own prosperity. How much prosperity do I need? Not much–just enough to live comfortably until I grow old. After all, prosperity is a state of mind. I’d rather be happy than mentally tortured. I’d rather be happy earning enough for my own sustenance than be rich but miserably far from home. The grass is not always greener on the other side. After Virginia Tech, I am quite thankful for the green grass that I still see in my own pasture.

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