So as you move onward from this tragedy at Virginia Tech — don’t turn a blind eye to your own suffering or the suffering of those around you. We tend to pass by — and you will. You’ll see someone you go to school with sitting outside near a tree, alone. They’ll be crying, and you’ll empathize, but not stop to talk to them. Or perhaps you’ll visit the grave site of a fallen friend, trying to hold back the tears – afraid those around you will judge you for crying. I know you’ll do this – I know because I was that person by the tree, and I was the brave young man trying not to cry. And that’s OK. We all deal with these things in different ways — and that, in essence, is the point of what my father’s friend was saying. It doesn’t matter how we deal with it — as long as we do.