WHAT A PIECE OF WORK :

Teacher stopped crazed gunman (News Interactive, 28apr02)

THE hero of the tragic shooting at a high school in eastern Germany told today how his pupil suddenly stopped the killing spree after gunning 16 people down.

"After hearing some shots, I was busy arranging the evacuation of pupils when I felt a presence behind me," Rainer Heise told the German ARD television network.

"I turned around, and saw a black silhouette, his face hidden by a balaclava. Suddenly he ripped it off, and I recognised him," Heise said.

"I then asked him: 'Robert, did you shoot?' The young man was silent. 'Robert, what's going on in your head?' Silence again.

"I then showed him my chest and asked him to shoot at me saying, 'but if you shoot, look into my eyes'. Then, he responded, 'for today, sir, that's enough'. I then shoved him into an empty classroom and locked the door.

If even Christ despaired on the Cross--"Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me"--there's not much hope that we mere mortals will be able to avoid occassional despair ourselves. Yet out of even horrific incidents like this one come moments of heroism that make us realize just how complex and marvelous we humans, for all our faults, really are. The desire to dispense with our humanity, formerly the province of religion but now the motivating force of sciences like genetic engineering, is understandable and should the dream be achieved might well prevent such senseless slaughters. But if it would do so at the cost of that which is best in us too, the foolhardy courage of a Rainer Heise, then we think the price is too high. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 28, 2002 10:13 AM