I trust this article will help you who are reading to think with me about a very important subject all tied to Virginia Tech. Tragedy has brought me to the point of sharing this more publicly and we all can learn if we seriously think about what I am explaining here. Having observed much of the tragic circumstances surrounding the Fort Hood Massacre and as we have learned more about the shooter, Nadal Malik Hasan, I am compelled to write this particular article today. There are three philosophies of life that can be seen reflected in the lives of three figures, all tied to Virginia Tech and related to events over the past 31 months: 1. Radical Islam, which kills; 2. Radical Secularism, which feels; and 3. Radical Christianity, which heals.

The recent shooting massacre at Fort Hood in Texas provides us with yet another opportunity to learn and grow and change. 13 more lives have been extinguished (14, when you count the developing baby killed along with the pregnant woman) and another 30 physically wounded. With the shooter still alive, the coming days and weeks will provide us with a somewhat unique opportunity to better understand his thinking and that from his own testimony. There are many aspects to this story which relate to areas of my own personal tragedy and even the greater Virginia Tech community. Even if this proves to be more of a religious outburst of violence or terrorism (“radical Islam”), there are psychological questions raised given this man’s job status and even questions related to his background and education. The fact that he turns out to be a Virginia Tech graduate, no doubt brings back memories of the awful 04-16-07 shooting massacre here in Blacksburg. This area still needs to learn and do more to heal from that horrific day on the Virginia Tech campus and no doubt those in the Fort Hood and military communities have a long road of recovery ahead. No matter how you look at this, what we really need is greater Mental Health!

Though the economy is keeping many from dressing up as much this year for Halloween, I thought I would take the opportunity that this time of year brings to continue discussing an outline I have previously mentioned, coming from the Bible book of Romans, chapter 13. This is an outline I have used extensively over the years to help bring structure to the daily living in my home and help teach my children. It comes from the text of Romans 13:11-14 and is logical as well as easy to remember for applying to all of life. 1. Wake Up! (c.f. my 08-27-08 Blog, “WAKE UP!”); 2. Clean Up! (c.f. my 01-07-09 Blog, “CLEAN UP!”); and then, 3. Dress Up! (what this article is about); and what I will write about later: 4. Grow Up! Last year on this same date, I also wrote a challenging article you may wish to review: “What are Your Masks?” Whether or not you have ever taken part in some Halloween or Fall Festival celebration and dressed up in some costume, you would do well to further consider what it means to Dress UP!

A flurry of recent events leads to me write about another important subject today. Over the past week or so, much has been discussed about people who are said to be missing. It seemed to begin last week when National attention came to a flying saucer shaped balloon found zipping through the Colorado skies, potentially with a 6-year old boy trapped inside. That actually turned out to be a hoax. After last Saturday, it was learned that another Virginia Tech student turned up missing, having attended a concert at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Nearly a week later, authorities are still looking for leads and trying to find Morgan Harrington. A 7 year old girl from Florida went missing last Monday, though tragically her body was found a couple of days later in a Georgia land field. News of another missing young girl in Missouri led me to think even more about a very important subject, often related to tragedy: MISSING IN ACTION!

I am often amazed at how inconsistent and even idiotic we have become when applying justice and mercy. A flurry of recent news stories brings particular attention to this problem. A well behaved six year old Cub Scout from Delaware, Zachary Christie, was recently suspended from his elementary school and sentenced to 45 days of reform school with older delinquent boys. This was for bringing a camping tool (fork spoon and knife) to school in order to eat his lunch. Public pressure has since helped overturn this decision and Zachary is now back in school. Another story from upstate New York reveals that 17 year old Eagle Scout, Matthew Whalen, was recently suspended for 20 days because he carried a pen knife in a survival kit locked in the trunk of his car. In addition to how this is currently impacting his schooling, he has feared that this might negatively impact his application to West Point. The school board has reviewed and maintained the suspension, while authorities from West Point have indicated this would have no negative impact on his application there. In discussing these examples of ZERO TOLERANCE policies, I have heard commentators justify these actions on the basis of the massacres at Columbine and even Virginia Tech. Having personally fallen victim to unreasonable judgments in the aftermath of 04-16-07, I will take this opportunity today to discuss ZERO TOLERANCE!

By now, you have likely heard that Chicago lost its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games to the city of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Despite a special effort to pitch this by Oprah and even President Obama and his wife, the city of Chicago will not be hosting these games. Some may point to the game playing behind the scenes or even Chicago’s reputation of political corruption as the reasons. Regardless of why these games will not be played in Chicago, we had all better be thinking more about playing games and what games we may be playing. . . .

There is SO MUCH information coming at you today from so many different sources that you had best be certain you are grounded in what you believe and that you know who you are. In fact, if you are not stable in knowing who you are, then you will find yourself morphing into things you will later detest. Certainly, we all need to continue growing and learning, yet your growth as a person will be built around some core or upon some foundation. If that foundation is not proper and if it is not fortified, then the winds of information and change will blow you over and you will be crushed in the rubble. The foundational meanings of our very existence are in question today. Many individuals are struggling and so is America as a Nation. No amount of attention to the healthcare debate or any needed reform there will be able to help us if we do not first know who we are. America needs to be certain of her foundational identity, particularly given the position we have as the leader of the free world. What we have now are IDENTITY CRISES.

College football fans and all of the Hokie Nation interested in Virginia Tech have a great example to look to in the Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska football game last Saturday. With little hope left for a team’s offense that had struggled against a tough Nebraska defense all day, the Hokies were faced with no time outs and only 1:44 left to play. They were stuck on their own 12 yard line and had to drive the length of the field for a touchdown in order to regain the lead. Amazingly, the VT quarterback found an open receiver down the right sideline on an 81 yard strike that looked to even be a potential touchdown. The receiver had been pushed just out of bounds right before the goal line; but now, they only have 3 yards to go for the score. The drive stalls with an 8 yard loss on a sack and then the ball thrown away with nobody open. With only 33 seconds left and a third and goal, 12 seconds tick off as the scrambling quarterback escapes the grasp of a star defensive tackle and finds a receiver in the end zone! Virginia Tech ends up winning 16 to 15 in one of the most improbable comeback wins ever. NEVER GIVE UP! That fitting slogan certainly applies here, yet is there more to learn?

One thing becoming increasingly common in our modern enlightened culture is hearing of further CORRUPTION. Hardly a day goes by but what you hear of yet another scandal. We hear of corruption in the business world (each of us is actually paying for this now) and in the business and competition in the world of sports. There are frequent examples of scandal and corruption in religious circles and most certainly this is occurring in the world of politics. In fact, many today are beginning to realize the extent of corruption within the Government and more and more are standing up and speaking out. We are on the verge of a revolution of change (as was campaigned in the 2008 elections), yet what this great change will actually be is yet to be realized. Will it be correction and a return to a superior way of living or will it be further corruption? How is it that many are just now beginning to wake up and learn of the extensive corruption within America? The answer is ACADEMIC…

One thing characteristic of our permissive and often foolish information age is what I call the IN YOUR FACE attitude. It is reflected in the video games that millions play and in many genres of music that millions regularly hear. You can see it in “art” or observe it in movies, on television shows and even at sporting events. It is often reflected in the energy and excesses seen on our college campuses. Back in the aftermath of 04-16-07, the world watched this attitude portrayed in pictures and video that Seung-Hui Cho sent to NBC news. In fact, it was so extreme that many began censoring this information or worse yet, ignoring it and further ignoring the shooter. You do not learn by ignoring information and you do not solve problems without the right answers. Maybe you have seen people who claim to have the answers. You might have heard or watched some of the EXTREME themed shows about sports or even the animal world. Maybe you have heard about or watched a show like MANswers that is promoted on the Spike and MTV networks. No doubt, you are aware of the many reality shows that often encourage extreme situations to hold the interests of the viewers. The answer to help you properly deal with all of this information and have a lively, yet healthy attitude in life is actually not far from the problem. It is to be In YOUR FACE!