Our culture is in a sad state. A boy died at the university where I work yesterday. He was shot and killed by another boy. I wrote this to a friend: At first when I heard the news I went into a spin about how kids are being turned into numbers/consumers who are taught how to be automatons trained to produce and consume in a disconnected world rather than human beings who are [loving] creative critical thinkers – and how maybe that is why there is so much more violence on campuses (and in general in this country).