MSU Shooting Lifts the Veil of Invulnerability
By Mike Sarafa
The emotion was palpable. Fr. Pierre Konja looked up from his chair in the theater room of our basement and asked, “How are the parents doing?” He was there to meet and counsel a spontaneous gathering of Michigan State University (MSU) students on the Tuesday evening after the mass shooting on campus.
Just within our immediate friend circle there are dozens of MSU families, and many of us gathered that evening to be with our kids, to pray for the victims and just to be together.
As parents, we go through lots of moments of vulnerability with our children starting with the miracle of birth itself. But nothing ever quite prepares one to be in central casting of these now too frequent occurrences of mass shootings around the United States. This one hit pretty close to home.
It’s very easy and very much part of human nature for us to put ourselves in the shoes of the parents of the victims – the devastation, the helplessness, the broken hearts. Thus, there were many tears shed that week, even knowing our kids were home safe. We spend much of our lives as parents building a safety net around our children. Away at college, that safety net can’t always be there. We’re left trusting them to make good decisions and to be good citizens.
On that front, I was very proud of what I saw. Kids (young adults) taking care of other kids, checking in on each other and wanting to be together; in many cases back on campus as soon as possible, determined not to give in to the shattering of their version of what is ‘normal.’
The Saturday after campus reopened, my wife and I drove to East Lansing to have lunch with our son and his friends. We picked them up and drove onto campus to visit what is affectionately known at MSU as the Rock and the Statue (Spartacus). Around these two MSU landmarks sprouted up makeshift memorials, covered by tents and protected by police.
Somewhat to my surprise, our son had already visited both locations with his friends, and in one case, one of the young men led a small group in a spontaneous prayer. Evidence was everywhere of fundraisers and other projects meant to support the families of the deceased and to support the injured students with the goal of helping them complete their studies at MSU.
Our son’s thoughts were with the Chinese boy who was left paralyzed from the chest down from the shooting. Here in United States, he thought – a Chinese national gunned down on an American campus – how could this happen? That feeling of guilt is akin to something bad happening to a guest in your home.
How are we parents doing? Better now, with time. Most of us were a bit frazzled, hurt for the affected students and their families, but terrified about the possible impacts to our children on the cusp of adulthood.
We long for a simpler, safer time – in a country that too often seems to have lost its way. And we’re devastated by the thought that the great American story of one generation handing over a better America to the next could end on our watch.
Mike Sarafa is one of the original publishers of the Chaldean News who has recently rejoined as contributor and host of a new podcast, Mike’s Musings.