At the start of the week, an IPFW student was shot at an OFF CAMPUS apartment during a party. Just like all the sad stories we here often, the victim was an innocent bystander; apparently, he was not involved in the tussle that led to someone brandishing a gun, but he fell at the hand of that gun. I’m sure this, like every other fatal shooting incident, will vigorously revive the gun possession versus gun control controversy in the city.

Even though I did not know the victim, the one thing that struck me was he’s only 19 year old young man, who suddenly and unexpectedly, had his life taken away from him. Some people might say, “Well, be wise in choosing your crowd,” so you don’t end up in a situation like that. While that is definitely an advice to heed, should that be the all we learn from this? I asked myself, is it easier for us to hold memorials, light candles, when there’s a shooting victim than to confront the underlying social issues that lead to the shooting incident in the first place? Do we rather hold a service at church, commemorate the victim’s life, while vehemently condemning ‘those evildoers’? Next week comes around, the shooting incident is no longer on the news, and guess what? We forget about it! I’m not saying that all the above should not be done, but is it all we can really do?

What if we, as a society, invested more time in molding young minds, before they turn to alternative detrimental sources for guidance? You may think it is not your problem. To the contrary, it is as much their problem as it is your problem. We are all members of the same society and are, thus, interconnected. The child that could have been mentored grows up to become a menace to society. Whose fault is it? That child may have grown up in poverty; he/she may not have had access to adequate resources to facilitate their intellectual and social development. So, that child, who is now a teenager drops out of high school, may not return to earn a diploma and continues down the path of deviance.

My point is I think we should all give our time to out-of-school programs and help to mold young minds. Big Brother. Big Sister. YMCA: where ever you volunteer at an after school program, and mentor a child, just know that you are making a difference. What about you--- are you making a difference?