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Goodbye Jesus

Cho Seung-hui's Good Doppelgänger.


Llwellyn

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Ironically, one of Cho Seung-Hui's victims grew up under very similar circumtances as Cho, but turned out as a virtuous human. Like Cho, Henry Lee immigrated from East Asia to the United States as a child. But while Cho submerged himself in all things hateful, and reacted to the stress of adjustment with withdrawal and malice, Lee somehow made the best of things. In a perfect world, Lee's goodness would have swept over Cho's evil. But instead, they are both gone. Here is the NYTimes Obit:

 

Henry Lee

 

 

 

Jennifer Whittaker

Henry Lee emigrated from China to Virginia in elementary school not knowing any English.

 

But that did not seem to hold him back. By the time he graduated from William Fleming High School in Roanoke, he had a 4.47 grade point average, was a member of the school's French and Beta clubs, was class salutatorian, and even managed to work part-time at a local Sears.

 

When he died at Virginia Tech on Monday at the age of 20, Mr. Lee - who had changed his name from Hen Ly to Henry - was a freshman majoring in computer engineering.

 

"He had the maturity and skills to be that computer engineer he always wanted to be," said his high school principal, Susan Lewyer Willis.

 

Ms. Lewyer Willis said the school held a formal awards ceremony last year for its students, and Mr. Lee won just about every award that was given out. The staff and faculty members all sat on stage, while the students and their parents sat in the auditorium.

 

"Every other award was 'Hen Ly, Hen Ly,' it was so cute," she said. "We all anticipated Hen Ly. When I was shaking his hand for probably the 12th time, I said, 'Hen Ly, stay up here with us,' he said okay. He had a huge grin on his face."

 

As salutatorian he was supposed to give a speech, but was so nervous that at first he didn't want to.

 

"He would step in my office and shake his head no, and I'd shake my head yes, and that was the way we communicated about this. Finally I said, 'I'll tell you what Hen Lee, work with your teachers and they can help you with the speech."

 

They did, and it needed few revisions. Ms. Willis's secretary put a tissue in her program that day.

 

Mr. Lee spoke about the difficulties he had coming to America and sitting in a classroom, not knowing how to speak English. He also spoke of having immigrant parents and being one of many children.

 

"He said to them, 'Imagine sitting in class not knowing the language, now I am number two in my class," she said. "It was such a proud moment."

 

I think this story should make us reflect on the moral choices that we make to the stresses that present themselves to us. It is within our choice to turn ourselves into angels or demons, and it is our moral responsibility to do what is right.

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Right on, and thank you. It's not Divine Providence or any other crap that any myth imagines, but as you say,

the moral choices that we make to the stresses that present themselves to us. It is within our choice to turn ourselves into angels or demons, and it is our moral responsibility to do what is right.
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The dude had autism and was clearly "wrong" even before he came to the USA at age 8. So, in the end, I don't know how responsible he is for being a fuck-up. But still, he was an adult, and even autistic people can be blamed for the evil or idiotic things they do.

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