Responding to news of campus violence and death

College Confidential Community
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Continuing the discussion from Terrible news out of UVa:

We find ourselves surrounded by tragedy once again:

This week has a particular resonance in our community because the victims were college students. Like many, I instantly drew connections between these news stories and people I know who are connected to the University of Idaho and UVA. It’s no longer a matter of statistics or remote detachment when you can easily imagine the senseless death of someone in your life.

As we learn more about tragedy our instinct is to do something to help. Unfortunately, even though it’s the right instinct, there rarely is anything we can do unless we happen to live in the effected community. Once again we watch in sympathy as families not unlike ours endure grief and confused pain. Once again we resolve to hug our loved ones and tell them we care about them.

I’m reminded of how our community grieved the loss of Lookingforward. In my personal life, I’ve found that sharing grief can never replace a loss, but it does fill in the space. Though we never wish tragedy on anyone, it can be a source of connection among people. I encourage each of us to think about someone who has suffered loss in our own lives and reach out to them in the coming days. We can be a source of hope within our own circles even if we cannot help out in Idaho or Virginia.

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I know that it’s really hard to get our young adults to connect, given how the landscape of social connections has changed, but we need to do something that is just not the suicide hotlines.

I don’t understand the motivation to harm another human being but the system is broken and our mental health system is overwhelmed. We need a “you’ve got a friend” online or phone system.
So sad!