As more information is coming out about the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech University, one thing that is gripping my attention is the nick-name that the apparent gunman had been given, the "Question Mark Kid". Here's an excerpt from a news article posted on FoxNews.com: Classmates said that on the first day of an introduction to British literature class last year, the 30 or so English students went around and introduced themselves. When it was Cho's turn, he didn't speak. The professor looked at the sign-in sheet and, where everyone else had written their names, Cho had written a question mark.
"Is your name, 'Question mark?'" classmate Julie Poole recalled the professor asking. The young man offered little response. Cho spent much of that class sitting in the back of the room, wearing a hat and seldom participating. In a small department, Cho distinguished himself for being anonymous.
"He didn't reach out to anyone. He never talked," Poole said. "We just really knew him as the 'question mark kid.'"
Will we ever know "who" this young man was? Will the 23 year old killer ever be given an "identity"? Are there other "Question Mark Kids" out there that you interact with everyday?
Are we too busy and self-absorbed to notice someone who is crying out for our attention? Consider the quiet, unassuming and "invisible" people that you see everyday, but you never really look at. Perhaps they need a second look from you.
5 comments:
Very often we are resined to give people what they "want." Cho seemed to want to be left alone, and that's what people gave him... extreme privacy. This is also what the enemy, aka, Satan wants... to have "alone time" with us, one-on-one. Parents make the mistake of leaving their kids "to themselves" in increasing number, giving them space. Often they are unwittingly opening them up to dark forces and influences which cannot easily be seen.
Parents, friends, and relatives who have true Light in their lives, aka Jesus, MUST shine that light into the lives of such "loners" consistently. It's all but guaranteed that they will not appreciate it... but to quote a certain TV detective, "they'll thank you for it later." Perhaps we all will
Great word! Spoken with authoruty. Thanks!
Pastor Brad,
Cho's was a not a one-of-a-kind. At a previous church, I routinely saw adults with mental illnesses and or development disorders being neglected. It kind of frustrated me because there was only so much we could do. One of the women commited suicide too. What I saw missing there was a mental health therapist - someone who can recognize symptoms and take appropriate measures to ensure that that person enjoys the Lord and ministering to God and people. Does Immanuels have one or planning for the same?
~ Anon Ye Mus
Anonymous'-
What you both said reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan, or rather the two guys who preceeded the Good Samaritan. How many times do we cross over to the other sidce of the road to avoid someone who needs our attention?
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