In Light of Recent Events

May 12, 2006 13:18


Dear World,

As most of you and the rest of the country knows, there was a horrible tragedy in the Centreville-Chantilly community Monday afternoon.

Michael Kennedy (18), a former student at Westfield High school, shot up the police station on Westfield Bvld, killing one and critically injuring another.

I knew him vaugly; he was a friend of a friend. He seemed fine. Nice, smart, talented- even an important part of the school's literary magazine, "Calliope".

But after years of dealing with a mental disorder called "schizophrenia ", he lost the battle within himself and took out his rage with the assistance of a semi-automatic.

I want to make my commentary as unoffensive as I possibly can. There is great controversy at Westfield right now concerning the event. Some mourn him as a friend and former student, others disown his memory because of anger in result from his final action. Both are fairly understandable.

As for my opinion, I am still unsure as to how I feel.

Rumors (that have been confirmed by his close friends) states that Mike and a friend were planning to shoot up Westfield as a sort of cleansing event. In Mike's mind, he beilived the world was filled with good aliens and bad, and it was his divine duty to exterminate the bad aliens. He never stated when he was going to go through with it, but he and his companion were well prepared.

Though this image deeply frightens me, the humane part of me feels extreme grief for the poor boy. He was mentally ill and needed help. My dad and religion have always taught me that even the people 'thirsty for blood' really aren't evil in all ways. He could have learned to control or even illuminate his other disorderly side by either art or other forms of expression.

But, then there's the reoccuring thought that what if he had gone through with his mission to shoot up the school? While attending Westfield, he was a very outward Nazi. Would it have been any surprise if, while he was on the hunt for 'bad aliens', the Jewish TV anchor for Westfield Live got shot? Probably not. And not even just me. There are 3500 students attending my school. Even if only one died, the community would never be the same ever again.

Fox and CNN have been stationed at my school for the past week, interviewing and nagging. Petitions keep being passed along to stop his memory from being remembered. People whisper about the situation in fear of controversy. I know I can't be the only one shook up by this. Chantilly's little Westfield High School... the next Colmbine? Almost.

So, my advice to all is this- don't hate Mike for his actions, but don't approve of them. Don't stop mourning the dead, but don't stop others from mourning, either. Just be happy that you're alive, your family is well, and that the students of our school are breathing.

As a direct quote from my dad...
"Hey dad, how are you doing today?"
"Well, I checked the obituary section in the newspaper today and I wasn't in it. So, I'm doing great!"

Someone was looking out for our section of the world on Monday afternoon. Stop fighting about how to cope with it and just be glad that our community wasn't in the Post for something worse.

Hope you all are well. It's been a while since I've updated (went to Germany for 2 weeks, went to the Dominican for a long weekend, been to NYC to visit my mother on and off, Prom was Friday.... it's been a hectic schedule haha)

Next time, my entry won't be as emo, I swear. :-)

Thank you all for reading (if you got this far) and I wish you all the best,

-j.
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