Hokie Hope Day

(The War Memorial Chapel on Virginia Tech's campus)

O Me! O Life!



O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.
That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

(Walt Whitman (1819–1892). Leaves of Grass. 1900.)

Let us learn from this horrific tragedy. Whether our lesson learned is to teach our children to be kind to others, whether it is exercising our right (and privilege) to vote against more stringent gun safety laws, whether it is turning off the TV and the sensationalism of the media, whether it is having empathy for the families dealing with the loss of a loved one, or whether it is hugging our baby a few extra times a night; let us learn and grow from this tragedy. With every tragedy, there is always an opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute your verse to the powerful play of life.