STAFF EDITORIAL

The tragedy on another college campus is a reminder of the destruction that a human being is capable of committing.

The shooting at Northern Illinois University leaves us stunned.

The candid horror of the event, like those of the past, is a grim reality that we must grapple with and move on from the best way we can.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where these catastrophes happen often.

Four other school shootings occurred in the weeks before the incident at NIU.

Although the Northern Illinois shooting dominated the news media, any other school shooting should be met with the same gravity.

Each one is a tragedy.

However, the worst reaction that comes from an overabundance of something is indifference.

An increased amount of any tragedy often leads to a withdrawn perspective that decreases the severity of the issue — we become desensitized to the issue.

To ensure the realization of the full gravity of the situation, we must not succumb to becoming detached from events such as school shootings.

The large number of school shootings should not be viewed as an unsolvable evil, but an evil that can be overcome. Rather than accept, we should mourn, understand and progress.

The Iraq War has fallen under similar circumstances. Hearing about the casualties of the war, after an extended occupation, sounds mechanical and less substantive. Once these tragedies become commonplace, some of the reality is absent.

We forget we are at war. We forget the toll and the tragedy. We forget actual lives are lost.

This is unfortunate — a war, a school shooting or any other tragedy is no less awful than any other, whether or not it is a common or an isolated incident.

We should not marginalize. A murder is a murder, and the number of murders does not diminish anything. A war is a war. We should not disassociate.

School shootings are the same.

It often feels as if we have built up a tolerance. Reporting on the shootings seems to be merely going through the motions.

The reports on each shooting is the same. Some are covered more than others, while others are sensationalized. Lurid details, at times, are given more attention.

Nonetheless, the focus should be on the gravity of each situation.

Upon each tragedy, we can then attempt to comprehend what exactly is going on so improvements can be made.

The portrayal of the school shootings frames the tragedies as events that happen, rather than events that can be overcome.

So, what we must remember is to remain in touch with the events of similar communities. As students, we are not far from such experiences.

We should never give in to looking past, or beyond school shootings.

The best move forward is this: Accept the tragedy and provide sympathy and respect, and reflect on how our society is and how we can each do our part to improve it.