On a bright sunny Tuesday afternoon of 20 April 1999, two Columbine High School students – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, shot 12 students and 1 teacher – and eventually turned the gun on themselves. Intensive police investigation revealed that both the shooters suffered from chronic depression and experienced immense amount of bullying at school. Their journals secretly sheltered their thoughts – of despair, anger, hatred, and helplessness. In 1999, everyone even remotely associated with the shootings acknowledged that the boys suffered from grave mental illnesses, which resulted in the massacre. But 20 years later, helpless spectators still watch dumbfounded, as young, disturbed people enter schools across the world and shoot random students, take innocent lives. 20 years later, the Columbine High School shooting continues, albeit in different forms. And what about the mental health dialogue? 20 years later, it’s still largely absent from the global platform. Such a sad world. Read more
