Lessons Learned from Mary and Cho

What do Mary Winkler and Seung-Hui Cho have in common? They SNAPPED! They both snapped! Yes, both of them killed. Mary killed her husband, Cho killed 33 people. Yes, both of them took the lives of others…and it’s sad. It’s very sad.

But the more I read about them..the more I see that these two people SNAPPED! No, they are not innocent. No, they should not be acquitted. Yes, they are responsible for what they did. Nevertheless, they SNAPPED. And that’s what I would like to explore… to learn from…

Both Mary and Cho came from a good family. I read Cho’s family’s statement and I just feel so sorry for them. The letter touched me so deeply. It’s hard to imagine what they are going through at this time. They call it a living nightmare.

Both Mary and Cho were quiet. Maybe in a different way … but they were both quiet. Both did not reach out to their family and friends when they needed their family and friends the most. They kept their frustrations to themselves…and they SNAPPED!

What lessons have I learned? Or what lessons do I want to teach my kids in light of these two tragedies we read on the news? The word RESILIENCY comes to mind. I want to teach my kids to be resilient…so that when hard things happen, they will not snap, they will not break. Instead, they will bend, they will flex…and then they will start over. I just googled the word resilient and there are many wonderful resources that came up.

Maybe I’ll add some links here later. But for now…I need to drink my coffee…

UPADTE 9/16/07:

I noticed a lot of traffic coming in here today. Then I realized "Unretourched Photo" placed a link to an old post I commented on. If anyone is interested in what I had to say about the "judgment", I'd say it was a very light judgment. I understand where why Mary could have snapped. I understand that there could have been abuse. But the fact remains that she killed her husband and for that she should suffer a consequence more severe that what she was granted. Yes, we can forgive and understand Mary, but we also must think of the Pastor and his family. A life was taken ... that "crime" should not have been taken lightly.