Indianapolis Star

Tragedy amid freedom, isolation

Our view: Glenn Sparks and Will Miller
April 22, 2007

There is his picture on the CNN Web page, just over 24 hours after he unleashed an unprecedented attack on innocent victims. His name was Cho Seung-hui. The headline says, "Loner Unleashed Massacre."

There is undoubtedly much more that we'll learn about this young man in the days and weeks to come. But the initial report that we've been given identifies him as a "loner."

It seems like a familiar profile by now. It is too late to help Cho Seung-hui. How might we help ourselves? A starting point might be to ask ourselves what this incident can tell us about how we are living today in America.

Our country was certainly founded on the core value of "freedom." People carried firearms. They were free to move about. They were free to speak. But the operating assumption was that freedom was inextricably tethered to the experience of living with others.

In community our self-identities are forged. Our grievances are heard. Our victories are celebrated and our defeats are cause for empathic expression. Our unthinkable thoughts of doing outrageously evil things are contextualized by people who care for us and who help us consign evil impulses to their rightful place. We come to share a common set of values, and we are held accountable.

Freedom used to be firmly attached to membership in the institutions of family, school and church). There can be dysfunctional families, bad schools and churches filled with hypocrites. But, functioning properly, these institutions help us to stay connected. And in those close connections, we discovered who we were.

But today we are drifting from each other. Incivility is on the rise. Many of us have few close friends. We recognize the living rooms and kitchens of sitcom characters but have never seen the inside of the home of the family living next door. We have lost "Refrigerator Rights." Our self-identities are much more difficult to forge apart from a strong network of significant others who care about us.

The late Marshall McLuhan once observed that terrorists are people who are "minus identity." They will do anything to get noticed. They will literally die to get coverage. The media become willing accomplices in their quest.

It may be true that once a person determines to go on a rampage in a free society, preventing it is nearly impossible. But we're not helpless. True prevention involves a relational investment that begins when a child is born and continues for life. A society that helps to facilitate closer connection and works against isolation cannot only do more to identify potential perpetrators before they act, it can even prevent them from developing in the first place.

A society that continues to champion freedom but persists in creating a culture of isolation and disconnection may find itself in a very scary place. Reneging on our freedom is a poor solution. Instead, it is time to recognize that we are all in this together. We need each other. "In unity, there is strength."

Sparks, professor of communication at Purdue, and Miller, a minister and therapist, are authors of "Refrigerator Rights: Creating Connections and Restoring Relationships."