There have been many tragic events this past weekend in Orlando, Florida. It started on June 10 as Christina Grimmie was gun downed after a concert where she was meeting with fans. She later died in the early morning hours of June 11. Then in the wake of this event, a much larger attack occurred in the early morning hours of June 12, as a man entered the Pulse night club and opened fire. As of Monday morning there were 49 dead and more than 50 injured.

Orlando is supposed to be this overall safe space. Though it is a major city with its own crime issues, this is not something that anyone would have thought possible, at least not outside of the theme parks where security makes sure nothing like this could happen. I still cannot believe that this happened in a place where I spent so much time while attending college. Though Orlando is two hours from where I live now, it will always be my home away from home, and it is terrifying to think about.

Concerts and clubs are safe havens for many. When someone goes to one of these venues they become part of that community. They are embraced by the other people who are there and they create an environment that evaporates as soon as the lights come back on. For a few short hours, though they are no longer in the world around them, a world that tries to destroy and change them. They are instead part of a fake utopia, where music and good friends are all you need. Where the worst thing that should ever happen is having to watch your drink for those who want to hurt you, not for gunman who wants to kill you.

I am an avid concert goer. In previous articles, I have talked about not only bonding and creating one of my first friendships at college through concert going, but also how it takes away the stress that builds up throughout the semester. As I scrolled through Twitter on the June 11, I came across the account of Bruce Wiegner, one part of the duet that is The Weekend Riot. His tweet summed up these events perfectly. “No one should EVER have to feel unsafe at a concert. Performers, the fans, the staff... EVERYONE should know they are safe. This is NOT okay.”

Wiegner is absolutely right. When I walk into any venue for a concert, I have never felt anything but safe. I find people who I can dance with, who I can talk to, who will equally share in a “fangirl” moment when our favorite band comes by. Safety was never something I took for granted until now.

So what do we do now? Even as I write this, there are reports coming in stating that someone was going to the L.A. Pride Feast with weapons to create further damage on the other coast. Should we not go out? Should we all start buying weapons to protect ourselves from further possible attacks and learn self-defense? I wish I had all the answers. I wish I could pick out the right thing to do. I wish that I was born in a different time, when we were not fighting a war within our country about safety in public bathrooms while loved ones try to find out if family members were on a date with their partner last night. I wish we were not fighting a war within our country about which of the two possible candidates would be the lesser of two evils. I wish we were not fighting a war within our country where it is fear that controls us. I wish we were not fighting a war within our own country.

I wish I could simply say, “Oh this is a one-time thing,” but I would be naïve to believe that. The only thing we can do is stay alert to the people around us. While the words “radical Islamic terrorists” are being repeated every ten minutes, we must remember that this does not mean everyone wearing a hijab wants to cause you harm. While some will believe that a continued hatred for the collective group is the best way to react to such events, we must remember that love is stronger than hate. That in the darkest hours in our history, community and love for one another is what has gotten us through it.

We are the American public, and we are stronger than those who wish to bring any of our citizens harm. We will get through this just as we have done in the past, and we will become better because of it. This weekend of terror here has already brought out thousands of helping hands to wait hours in line to donate blood and donate thousands of dollars for everyone who has been affected this weekend. Centers are opening up their doors to provide crisis counseling for anyone who needs it.

I hope one day I will be able to look back on this time in my life like a distant nightmare. I hope that I will never have to see one of my friends' name on the “Victims” tab. I hope that if I ever have to face this type of situation I can be as strong as others who we are reading about, such as those who carried people away from Pulse to safety and cared for them even though they themselves are just normal people. Or Marcus Grimmie, who tackled the man who shot his sister before any more harm could be done to those outside of The Plaza.

I hope for a better and safer tomorrow and peace for those who are living through this nightmare right now. This hurricane of destruction will soon give way to a beautiful rainbow, and I hope you all are around to see it.