After watching the terrible events at Dawson College one of my young Granddaughters asked me if such a thing could happen in Burlington.
Of course, I reassured her that it was extremely unlikely that such an event could take place here and she should not worry about it.
However in my heart I knew that a tragedy like Dawson College could happen here and there is not much we can do about it.
We are extremely fortunate in Canada because we are not involved in a civil war or worse, a Holy war. We don't have to fear suicide bombers or car explosions and can go about our daily lives without feeling threatened every moment.
But still I can't help but feel unsettled by the fact that one twisted mind can cause destruction in the blink of an eye. I am alarmed by the ease with which guns can be obtained. I am contantly uneasy with the amount of violence that is in almost every movie, both on TV and on videos and particularly in video games.
I heard the other day that there is now a video game that takes you into Columbine High School where you can kill teachers and students! This is unbelievable. There appears to be no control over the content of this "entertainment".
Violence, wars, killings and aggression haved always been a part of humanity since the beginning of our history and presumably always will be. No gun laws will prevent a person intent on obtaining a gun from getting one. No censorship will remove the desire of a warped mind to take lives as revenge for abuse, bullying and other perceived agonies.
There were many people who saw the Dawson College perpetrator on his blog with a weapon in an aggressive attitude. Nobody reported it to the police.
We must remain vigilant at all times and pray that our Burlington schools and public places will remain safe for all our citizens.
I hope that one day I will be able to say to my Granddaughter, "Yes dear, you are completely safe in Burlington".
Comments