NIU

My friend Krys emailed today, distressed about the senseless killings at Northern Illinois University. My daughter attended NIU, so that windswept campus among the cornfields holds a warm spot in my heart.

Years ago the husband of a friend committed suicide. A mutual friend who knew the couple better than I commented, “Suicide is a very selfish act.”

I hadn’t thought before that suicide was selfish, but I realized where she was coming from. The perpetrator thinks of no one except himself.

Well, we have been shown something even more selfish – the one who kills others before killing himself. We’re told the Virginia Tech killer was mentally unstable. Early reports indicate the NIU killer had recently quit taking his medications and had been behaving erratically.

I can identify with mental turmoil a little. I went through a period of great depression while in college; I felt I didn’t have any friends. But the thing that kept me from suicide was I knew how it would hurt my family. I could not do something so cruel to my family.

God pulled me right out of that pit by directing me to a career where I was actively helping people. For the next three years I learned to put my unselfish desires into practice, and ran my little legs off giving to others by training to be a Christian Science nurse.

What’s the antidote for selfishness? Generosity. The generous heart is so busy finding opportunities to help others that it has little time to mope about itself. I am blessed to count many generous hearts among my friends today.

Peggy, for example, is always asking, “What can I do to help?” Even when she doesn’t say it in words, you know she cares by how she pitches in without being asked.

How do we teach big-heartedness to today’s youngsters? By example. Kindness finds expression in unselfishness, caring, respect for others. It has to do with self-worth, feeling one has something of value to give.

Virginia Tech and now the NIU tragedy can be a timely wake-up call. Perhaps we can all do more to affirm the value of everyone we meet.

A cheery "Good Morning!" or a smile can be just the thing to turn someone’s discouragement around. God’s love includes everyone. Each person is important; no one should be marginalized or excluded.

We should not underestimate the power of a generous heart.

Other blogs on this topic:
The world is not falling apart!
Shooting in Illinois - scroll down to February 15, 2008