Another day, another death, another shooting
I grow weary thinking of all that’s happened the past few months.
People well-revered for their status — their positions in power or the familiar faces of celebrities — the world’s lost more than we can count.
As they say, a death is a deeply tragic, personal story. Any more than that is a statistic.
I reeled at the headlines today. About the Jacksonville shooting at a video game tournament.
This struck me particularly because I used to date a gamer. He’s known in Super Smash tournaments across the nation for his ability to play a certain character.
The mere thought of losing even one of my exes — who I’ve drifted apart from over time — at the hands of another shooter, crushes me.
Part of me wonders why such senseless violence occurs. What makes people believe that such actions are justifiable?
I don’t understand.
And to think of all the people who die every day, leading lives unknown to the rest of us, as history and news stations commemorate the existence of a few.
With intellectual leaders like Stephen Hawking passing, I realized that no one — no matter how wise or rich — is free from their inevitable demise. Yet the impact they have upon those who knew them is untold.
I fear the day will come when I never get the chance to tell someone how much I love them.
I fear the day will come when I run out of time, when the chaos in life plucks another friend or family member from my life.
I fear these things and wonder why I devote so much time for studying for a test for a degree that might not matter in the long run — not when love, according to Viktor Frankl, is the driving force and the number one regret people have most when they’ve become older, when they look upon their life and wish fervently to amend the mistakes of their past.
I fear all these things and more. And perhaps I’ll remain a coward in the face of all my fears. But perhaps, seeing them clearly and confronting them is the first step to overcoming them.
Or so I hope.
