Born in 1990, Samast is 16 years old. To understand the weight of this point, consider the following: replace Samast’s image with that of any junior at Clark and replay the story of how he ended up. Imagine a Clark junior purchasing a gun, travelling to Washington, D.C. and shooting a reporter in the head. Feels heavier, doesn’t it?

At Wednesday’s vigil, I heard an elderly woman abruptly begin chanting "Shame on Turkey," as a means of placing the blame for Dink’s death on the Turkish government. Constantly criticized by the international community for its lack of democratic ideals, the government of Turkey is now bearing the weight of this event, fighting against taunts of failure and shame.

However, that woman’s words are only half of what needs to be said. Yes, shame on Turkey. But even more so, shame on the rest of the world. Shame on the rest of the world for spending millions on the paychecks of tycoons and politicians, managing to facilitate the celebrity of talentless entrepreneurs, for fighting fruitless wars and yet failing to instill the simple concepts of freedom and respect in its youth. Shame on the world for letting Ogun Samast ruin his life by choosing murder over thought and verbal expression. Shame on our global culture for failing to educate our generation in the art of logic.

Ogun Samast is a victim of the world’s failure; Hrant Dink was a sacrifice for the effort to stop any in the future who may consider following in Samast’s footsteps. The world ought to take notice of how it has let down its own potential and the new generation, and fight to re-direct its attention to what matters. Otherwise, downfalls such as those of Dink and Samast will reach epidemic proportions, eventually destroying all hope of renewal and progression. Action must be taken, before it is too late.