On Monday, May 22, the Manchester Arena, following a performance by Ariana Grande, was rife with fear and terror after an explosion resulting from a suicide bombing had occurred. At least 22 people have been killed, many of who are children, and more than 50 people have been injured from this act of terrorism.
Concerts are supposed to be a safe space; those who attend are ones who simply wish to escape the real world and spend a few hours simply listening to music that they enjoy, and seeing the people that make them happy. They're loud, rambunctious, and honestly a spectacle to behold as to seeing how so many people can come together for the sake of seeing their favorite artist perform if only for a single performance. Ariana Grande's target demographic for her music are young teenagers, and this is what truly differentiates it from other terrorist attacks such as the 2015 Paris attack, or the Pulse shooting in Orlando; young teenagers are now dead. They won't be able to come home to their parents, they won't be able to sing with Ariana in the car, and they won't be able to experience the natural joy found in youth because of what has happened. And yes, I do understand that it is true that all of the victims in the previous attacks don't get the same opportunities, but it hits closer to home to me as an 18-year-old that these young people who were my age have been killed.
Formerly, I truly thought that "the adults would take care of it" when reading the constant news articles and the Facebook posts about everything that had happened, ranging from the aforementioned Paris attacks and Orlando to the Chapel Hill shootings. The adults, of course, were the higher ups, like the government, the military, etc. I used to feel invincible and brave; I wasn't worried at all about going to school in New York City because I know how to defend myself, and I didn't feel any fear in engaging in risky activities.
However, these young teenagers died, without any justification; they simply were trying to enjoy life by actively going out of their way to pursue their happiness, whether by attending the concert or in trying to hang out with their friends. The constancy of the idea that "that could've been me" made me simply stare up at my ceiling from my mattress instead of sleeping. Ever since the news broke, I haven't been feeling invincible anymore; I feel seriously vulnerable.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, I'd go so far as to say that the form that evil takes is not what matters; it's what we do to face the horror, and move forward. Whether it was the Islamic State, or just a lone person, the message is the same; nothing is safe to enjoy, and we want everyone, adults, children, teenagers, to live in fear constantly. Their war is more than just a political one against the various countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Their war is social; their own war is the war on freedom in all aspects of enjoying life, and that is the fight that none of us can afford to lose.
So, to fight, take more risks, no matter the vulnerability. Continue to live life in pursuing the passions that you have, and in pursuing what truly makes you happy. Go out to the concerts and Broadway shows that you love to experience. Take that hour to watch the new episode of the show you just started. Eat out, and spend time with your family and friends. Be the young teenager and young adult that you were meant to be, without living in constant panic over horrific possibilities.
Because, in earnest, even if all of the terrorists in the world were killed, the sentiment can only be brought down by us collectively working to reject those ideas, and it is only then that terrorism and its roots can be vanquished.
