Like many across the nation, for the last few days, I've been glued to the horrifying news of the Virginia Tech shootings.  I didn't know anyone there.  I didn't have any friends or family that were directly effected.  And yet, that's a lie in itself.  We might not have had relatives or friends there, but everyone I have spoken to has been moved by this tragedy.  My heart goes out to those who have lost a friend, a family member, or an acquaintance.  Hell, my heart just goes out to our nation, period.

These are not easy days.  We face our generation's Vietnam, we have school slayings, and we have something worse - apathy.

By apathy, I don't just mean that we stand by and do nothing.  It's something more than that.  It's the quickly forgetting sympathetic ear.  It's self obsession.  It's ignorance.  It is thinking that any help, no matter how big or small, is futile.  It is the belief that the individual cannot change the world.  It is the greatest evil that we face today.

The painted faces on the news gave their five minutes of sympathy.  Now, the finger-pointing syndrome has swept through them in a fervor.  And it's not just them -it is us as a nation.  We extend a quick helping hand, a hug, a few mumbled words, and we move on as quickly as we can to blame.  We've become a nation of inbred suspicion and hatred.  It's never our fault - it's always someone else's.  We have to find the culprit in every detail of life.  Instead of trying to warm each other's hearts, we look for the guilt in all those around us.

We see a war in Iraq, and we talk about our support or our dislike of the war.  Those that oppose the war give their little speeches to their friends, complain to whoever will listen, but will they actually stand up and shout their belief to the world?  Will they try to organize marches, peaceful protests, or go against the flow?  Not that I've seen.  The fire of the youth in the Vietnam era has lost its way, and has now been turned into bitter apathy.

We stand by, and we watch these things.  So today, I give you this advice.  Stop watching.  Participate.  If someone is grieving, give them your heart for as long as it takes to help them heal.  If you want to make a stand, quit complaining and stand up.  Shout your views to the world.  Let yourself go.  And most of all, don't be afraid to love the people around you.  Otherwise, the individuals in Virginia will have died for nothing.