50 dead, 53 severely injured; that is what has been recorded as of 9:00 pm on Sunday June 12, 2016. On early Sunday, Omar Mateen began firing in an Orlando gay club called Pulse, now being remembered as the deadliest mass shooting in the United States.
As our hearts cry out to the victims and families of those who lost their lives and those who are injured, the media seems to be focused on something other than the fact that there are civilians who lost their lives for no actual reason. The media has decided to focus on the fact that Omar Mateen was of the Islamic faith and has been said to have pledged an allegiance to ISIS prior to the club attack.
There has yet to be valid proof that Mateen was an ISIS fighter, but that does not take away from the fact that people are believing it because it seems to be the easiest scapegoat and a way to look away from the actual problem. Here is my issue: This shooting, yet again, has been a way to point the finger at the Islamic religion rather than look at what is really happening. One human attacking humans because of their own personal belief and hatred, not a population of people who fall under the same religious faith.
Mateen was not a practicing Muslim, was not fasting during this holy month of Ramadan and was most certainly not the voice of the entire Islamic religion. Mateen was a homophobe on his own accord who decided it was his duty to get rid of people he viewed as a problem. Where are we at fault? We are sweeping under the rug that there are now 50 lives who will no longer see a future. There are now 50 lives that will become nothing but a hushed whisper in the wind, another name that can no longer be said out loud with at least one heart sinking. There are 50 lives that will never grow old, will not have the chance to help fix our corrupt society that we now live in.
Instead we live in a world that would rather play the blame game, that think it is best to hold anger and let it grow on the inside. Instead of coming together in a time of need, where there is still 53 beautiful humans fighting for their lives and even more officially traumatized by what has happened. Why are we not focusing on the fact that these shootings are happening more frequently? That people have more access to guns and weapons than ever before. That depending on the race and ethnicity of the person determines what kind of crime this was, whether it was that they were mentally ill, or that it was a terrorist attack.
The mass shooting, will forever be engraved as the deadliest mass shooting in the United States, until another one happens. Because our nations continues to fuel hatred instead of kill the fire and fill it with peace, with understanding, with the desire to be better.
For the 50 that lost their lives, your legacy lives on. To the family and friends of those victims, they will never be forgotten, their lives will now be a representation and motivation to create peace between our nations, no matter the ethnic profile. To those that are hospitalized, come out strong, come out with a voice prepared to change the world. And to those who will suffer from trauma and stress disorders, one day this will no longer traumatize you, you will grow from it, you will now be better because of it and help fix this destructive world built off of greed and hate.
