Sixteen years ago, many of us were rocked by a shocking incident. The innocent lives of twelve teens and one teacher were claimed instantaneously. Awful. Twenty-four additional others were injured in the attack. The two responsible then committed suicide.
Two teen boys… killed themselves.
At first, there was shock. Then there was outrage.
On April 20, 1999, senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed the sadly infamous, Columbine High School massacre. Last week, for the first time — yes, sixteen years later — Sue Klebold spoke out.
Sue is the mother of Dylan. She spoke with ABC’s Diane Sawyer…
Like many parents, Sue Klebold was certain she would have known if something were wrong with her son. Allow me to say that again: she was certain that she would know.
But she did not.
“Before Columbine happened, I would have been one of those parents. I think we like to believe that our love and our understanding is protective, and that ‘if anything were wrong with my kids, I would know,’ but I didn’t know, and I wasn’t able to stop him from hurting other people. I wasn’t able to stop his hurting himself and it’s very hard to live with that.”
Isn’t that the reality?
We think we know when something’s wrong and when it isn’t.
But we don’t.
Said Klebold…
“I want people to be aware that things can seem awfully right when things are terribly, terribly wrong.”
What she wants to say to Columbine survivors and victims’ families…
“The one thing, of course, that I want to say is I am so sorry for what my son did, yet I know that just saying ‘I’m sorry’ is such an inadequate response to all this suffering. There is never a day that goes by where I don’t think of the people that Dylan harmed.”
Diane Sawyer emphasized, “You use the word ‘harmed.’ “
To which Klebold continued, “I think it’s easier for me to say harmed than killed. And it’s still hard for me after all this time… it is very hard to live with the fact that someone you loved and raised has brutally killed people in such a horrific way.”
Truth told, I’m not sure what the bottom line message is here today. I think the point is that it’s easier for us to cast fingers and stones when someone does us wrong. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris did us obvious, awful, heinous wrong.
But is that the only angle there is, to process what happened sixteen years ago? Is that the only perspective?
What helps us work it through even now?
What empathy is necessary for others involved? Is any empathy appropriate? Is it inappropriate?
Great questions. Wish I knew all the answers.
Just thankful we’re humble enough to ask and attempt to answer the questions.
Respectfully…
AR