The book and remembering Columbine sent my head spinning; are we ever safe? I think as teens and young adults we tend to think that life is infinite. We make a lot of plans and look to the future thinking we have so much time ahead of us.
If the thought of a future is what keeps the human race moving do we need to contemplate the idea of life ceasing to exist?
People say that the notion of premature death can push you to live a more full life... or does it limit your life due to fear? Maybe it's best that we don't think about delusional violence all the time.
Acts of violence are heart wrenching because they make us wonder what it's like to be in those last moments of life. Those last seconds before your life is stolen from you; leaving everyone you love in the wake of your absence. What were peoples' lives like moments before they realized they were going to die?
Allow me to paint a picture as if it were you.
Maybe you were thinking about the dreams you will now never accomplish; that college degree or unborn baby you will now never hold. Perhaps you were looking forward to a tv show that night or weekend plans. Maybe you'd just had your first kiss or were starting to fall in love. In an instant, things can change. Suddenly someone's pointing a gun at you. It's not about the pain of the bullet, it's the terror you feel in those moments prior to loss. A nightmare you can't wake up from.
It's enough to make you sick just thinking about it, right? You're probably wondering why I am writing about this. I do so because we cannot ignore the violence any longer. Maybe if I can paint a picture of the reality violence creates, it can start to change.
The truth is that life can stop in a split second; something we shouldn't have to think about. Violence robs us of our serenity and the peace we deserve to live our lives in. We now live in a world where it seems anything can happen. You can die watching a movie, getting an education or even running a race.
So what is it that keeps us going?
I think it's awakening to the sunrise when the world says it's time to make progress, and then quieting to the sunset when the whole world seems to go to sleep. We live each day for the potential happiness life brings us, and the fact that it can be taken from you makes it more valuable. We live for the potential of greatness, the promise of love.
But most of all, we live for the people who did not get a choice. We live for those who we wish were here with us.
