Just...Thoughts
Everything happens for a reason.
Not everyone believes that. I try to. Sometimes I feel like I need to believe that...even if the "reason" isn't a good one. Even if the reason isn't readily observable. In fact, in life, it's not often you find a reason for the things that happen. A good windfall is attributed to luck. A tragedy is always senseless.
I don't make excuses for people. I didn't know this kid. I didn't know any of the victims - neither those who survived nor those who did not.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not good with death. I often feel so disconnected by the mere prospect. Truth be told, I can't even say that these 33 deaths have resonated with me as much as they have with other people. In most ways.
But.
I woke up this morning. Thirty-three people in Virginia did not. Part of me hates to define my thoughts by those thirty-three people. What about the hundreds of thousands of other people who die every day?
That's not my point.
My point is, I woke up and the first thing on my mind was that 24 hours before, thirty-three people woke up. Odds are...at least one bitched about having a bad hair day. At least one burned breakfast. At least one kissed her lover good morning.
One woke up and decided to go on a shooting spree.
Fact is, I don't think any of them woke up and thought to themselves, "Today's the day I'm going to die." I'd be willing to bet they were stressed about finals, about having had too much to drink on a Sunday night before classes, about how to pay the rent, about that STD they caught over Spring Break. Anything, really, but being shot in the middle of a classroom.
It could have been anyone. It could be anyone.
It doesn't have to be a shooting or a bombing or a plane flying into a building. Events like yesterday's are scary because they remind us that life's not guaranteed. At any given moment, on any given day, our time could be up. It's easy to take life for granted. To put off until tomorrow what we could do today. It's easy to tell ourselves, "I've got time."
We never really know that for sure though, do we?
What happened yesterday was tragic. It was...yes...senseless. In a perfect world, no one person would have the power to determine life or death for any other. That extends far beyond Virginia Tech.
I do feel sad for them, despite the fact that I didn't know them. In a way, I guess maybe I did. We all did. They were our brothers, our sisters, our best friends and lovers. It could have just as easily been any of our loved ones. They were someone's loved ones.
So here's where I turn into a greeting card - and I kind of hate it. I take a lot of people in my life for granted. I'm not even sure I can change. Two weeks...three weeks...from now, I'll get moody and angry and someone will say or do something that upsets me and telling him or her that I love them will be the last thing on my mind. Today, though, I can take the opportunity to do so.
There are three things that pop to my mind every now and then.
1. Never go to bed angry.
2. Never leave angry.
3. If you love someone, let them know.
Did I lose my point? Probably. It happens a lot. To sum it all up, yesterday was a horrible day and my heart goes out to everyone who lost someone. My heart also goes out to those I love, because I know if I were to lose any of them, I would be devastated.
Not everyone believes that. I try to. Sometimes I feel like I need to believe that...even if the "reason" isn't a good one. Even if the reason isn't readily observable. In fact, in life, it's not often you find a reason for the things that happen. A good windfall is attributed to luck. A tragedy is always senseless.
I don't make excuses for people. I didn't know this kid. I didn't know any of the victims - neither those who survived nor those who did not.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not good with death. I often feel so disconnected by the mere prospect. Truth be told, I can't even say that these 33 deaths have resonated with me as much as they have with other people. In most ways.
But.
I woke up this morning. Thirty-three people in Virginia did not. Part of me hates to define my thoughts by those thirty-three people. What about the hundreds of thousands of other people who die every day?
That's not my point.
My point is, I woke up and the first thing on my mind was that 24 hours before, thirty-three people woke up. Odds are...at least one bitched about having a bad hair day. At least one burned breakfast. At least one kissed her lover good morning.
One woke up and decided to go on a shooting spree.
Fact is, I don't think any of them woke up and thought to themselves, "Today's the day I'm going to die." I'd be willing to bet they were stressed about finals, about having had too much to drink on a Sunday night before classes, about how to pay the rent, about that STD they caught over Spring Break. Anything, really, but being shot in the middle of a classroom.
It could have been anyone. It could be anyone.
It doesn't have to be a shooting or a bombing or a plane flying into a building. Events like yesterday's are scary because they remind us that life's not guaranteed. At any given moment, on any given day, our time could be up. It's easy to take life for granted. To put off until tomorrow what we could do today. It's easy to tell ourselves, "I've got time."
We never really know that for sure though, do we?
What happened yesterday was tragic. It was...yes...senseless. In a perfect world, no one person would have the power to determine life or death for any other. That extends far beyond Virginia Tech.
I do feel sad for them, despite the fact that I didn't know them. In a way, I guess maybe I did. We all did. They were our brothers, our sisters, our best friends and lovers. It could have just as easily been any of our loved ones. They were someone's loved ones.
So here's where I turn into a greeting card - and I kind of hate it. I take a lot of people in my life for granted. I'm not even sure I can change. Two weeks...three weeks...from now, I'll get moody and angry and someone will say or do something that upsets me and telling him or her that I love them will be the last thing on my mind. Today, though, I can take the opportunity to do so.
There are three things that pop to my mind every now and then.
1. Never go to bed angry.
2. Never leave angry.
3. If you love someone, let them know.
Did I lose my point? Probably. It happens a lot. To sum it all up, yesterday was a horrible day and my heart goes out to everyone who lost someone. My heart also goes out to those I love, because I know if I were to lose any of them, I would be devastated.