The bloodshed, tears and deep hurts were felt around the world on Monday April 16, 2007. Racial animosity, pride and belligerence rose as the news spread across the globe, of a young Korean male named Cho Seung-Huin who allegedly shot and killed 32 people in a shooting rampage that does not seem to make sense.

Bells tooled Friday at Virginia Tech to honor victims of the tragedy that gripped the world 4 days earlier.

In Washington, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid called for a moment of silence; The NASDAQ trading market in New York paused for 2 minutes to honor the community at Virginia Tech.

Virtually every State around the country and many places around the world sounded bells and had moments of solace, silence and weeping. The Columbine High tragedy was remembered on this 20th day of April, which is the eight anniversary of that horrible event.

Students at Virginia Tech, parents, Teachers and workers are still dazed and wondering, “How could this happen?”

The alleged gunman’s family is suffering also. They are reportedly under FBI protection.

In 2005, Cho was declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice, who found he was “an imminent danger” to himself, a court document states. Cho’s great-aunt, Kim Yan-Soon, described Cho as “very cold.”

What does all this mean? All those headlines, the mourning, weeping, sadness and the tragedy itself have a root cause! The root cause of all of the violence in society is lack of or low, “Self-Esteem.” Once view in light of the description of Self-Esteem that is provided here, I think that many will readily agree. My definition of Self-Esteem is this, “Self Esteem Means, the inner part of you, the person created for greatness and honor to give to the world in tremendous service.” In other words, “Self-Esteem Goes to The Level of Being, or the I AM in YOU.”

It is obvious to me that Cho was an individual who lacked self-love, inner-peace and a sense of well-being. Cho’s Westfield high School Classmates admitted to calling him names and letting him know that he was considered strange, quiet and aloof. What this all says is that, “you are not like us, you are different, therefore, you are a freak and a weirdo.

This is not to say that Cho’s actions, nor are his conditions the fault of anyone else. However, when the esteem is low, and the outside world confirms what you feel on the inside, by taunts, ridicule, cruel gestures, and racial remarks, it is a declaration to the already weaken sense of real self (Self-Esteem) that all is lost.

This tragedy is widely known because of the horror of the crime. However, what about before the crime? What about the months leading up to the incident that shook up the world many times over? What about his (Cho’s) great Aunt’s description of him as “very cold, and said her niece was constantly worried about him, according to a translation form the AP.

In 2005 Cho was reportedly declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice, who found he was “an imminent danger” to himself, a court document state.

There is a culprit that is laughing, and laughing all the way from pain to pain, from human tragedy to human tragedy, and that culprit is “Low, or No Self-Esteem.” When people feel good about themselves on an internal level, really deep down, they do well. When the individual seeks approval, second guesses their every life move, and seeks the validation from parents, friends, relatives, and society as a whole that is where the root is buried. That is what gangs, guns and overall violence is about! Gangs, and violence are about approval, wanting to feel loved and important.

Until Self-Esteem is taught as a curriculum, as a mandatory course in our schools, in the government in every phase of society, including the work force, we continue, (as a society) to have these shockers. There can never be any winners in this scenario.