Usually I don't respond to these kinds of occurrences because I believe that sometimes it's best not to become involved. But this time, I've had enough. And I hope that I can speak my mind clearly enough for everyone to understand.
Just a few days ago, well-known "The Voice" alum and singer/songwriter Christina Grimmie stopped at Orlando for her concert tour. After Grimmie finished wrapping up her performance, she opened up the floor to sign autographs for her fans. Unfortunately, the meet-and-greet was cut short when Kevin James Loibl opened fire and shot her in public. In addition to that, her brother attempted to defend her by tackling the shooter, but the gunman ended up taking his own life instead. Christina was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead later that night.
The following evening in Orlando yet again, the well-attended gay nightclub Pulse suffered a more severe blow. Omar Mateen opened fire on the entire nightclub and shot over 100 people, 50 of whom could not make it out alive. And to make matters worse, this was not the first time that Mateen became a person of interest for the FBI.
I am speechless. I am in shock. I am frightened. I am embarrassed. And chances are that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Has mindless and deranged shooting become the epitome of our nation?
I have not yet experienced someone's life being taken by gunshot in the midst of my presence, so I cannot relate to everyone on that level. Yet shootings and deaths are always in headlines on the news wherever you go. It sickens me that even though we notice these fatal instances happening, oftentimes we let them breeze past us because we think that those lives weren't our business. Here's the problem with that: we're beginning to take precedence over whose lives "matter" more. Well, what about the deaths that have gone unrecognized? I understand that we don't have mind capacities to comprehend every single death specifically and individually, but that shouldn't give us an excuse to count those people out.
As for the killers themselves, we can't negate the validity of their craziness or even simple mistakenness. But why fight gunshots with gunshots when kindness emits a significantly louder frequency?
It's crucial during unexpected times like these that we need to put our divisions aside and come together as one. We need to mourn as one. Cry as one. Pray as one. Love as one. I believe the ulterior motive for so many diverse responses to this chaos is that we've forgotten how to unite amidst tragedy. We're so caught up theories and blame games and differences of opinion that we leave unity out of the picture. Yes, vast amounts of lives have been unjustly silenced, and I'm not belittling the brutality of any of those circumstances. But we can't sit around waiting for something to happen next.
This is a call to action. A call to speak up. A call to make a truly positive impact by ensuring safety for everyone. There isn't enough room for hate in this. Targeting certain communities must be terminated from every side. I want to see people of all ages, all races, all sexual orientations, all backgrounds, all points of view, all everything-you-can-possibly-imagine in formation to protect each other from even the slightest harm. The striking aftermath in Orlando right now should give us motivation to become a shield not only for those communities but also for the rest of the world.
This isn't an #AllLivesMatter movement. This is a #OneLoveOvercomes revival.
