Today, there was a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. Very sudden, very sad. There's been many posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. about it. Just a little while ago I saw one asking why there isn't such a nation wide uproar when soldiers die or drunk drivers get behind the wheel and kill people. My response was:
"I believe because in the military there are always going to be people dying. It's sad, but it's what happens. When you send 5 year olds to school, you don't expect them to die. It's sad no matter how someone dies or what the circumstances are, though. They should all be mourned."
Really, I think the main point about this disaster, is the fact that the majority of victims, were children. Innocent, little children.
Did you know that one of the teachers kept telling her student she loved them because she thought it was going to be the last thing they heard.
That is what I call humanity. Humanity: the good in us all. In his VlogBrothers video for today, Hank Green can be quoted with what has become my favorite thing said by anyone ever:
"Humanity is good. Some people are terrible and broken, but humanity is good. I believe that."
People who commit these horrible acts, like killing those guilt-free students and teachers, are broken. They are disturbed and atrocious.
I think the thing is bothering all of us, is the fact that they were children. Children with their whole lives ahead of them. Like when the president gave his speech today, he wasn't a president, a democrat, a politician at all. He was a father. He wasn't thinking about the media attention to him; but about his own daughters. If they had been in one of those classrooms. I can tell that my parents thought that exact same thing by their reactions.
I feel the parents/adults of this country, in addition to us students, ache for the parents and families of the victims.
I remember being in elementary school. Just following the leader in line. I never knew if something bad was happening. I was oblivious. Just imagine what those kids were experiencing. Teacher freaking out, lock down. being gathered at the back of the room. Terrifying.
As I've grown and matured, I feel like I have a sort of responsibility to not only myself, but to this country, to be aware and sympathize with everybody else.
Mourning does not come easy to me, especially in cases where I don't personally know the deceased. But my heart truly, deeply goes out to them.
Taylor
