Dear America,
It seems that things haven’t been going your way lately; mothers are afraid to let their babies go to school, children are nervous watching their parents go to work, and people are afraid to spend their free time in public. I’ve never actually thought about it until now, but we all seemingly live in a state of constant fear — just waiting for that next ‘Breaking News’ headline that shatters our world.
However, the constant chyron scroll of news headline banners that roll across the bottom half of our TV screens has done something traumatic to our nation: it has desensitized everyone from the constant horrors we face. I can’t even begin to describe how terrible it was to hear the words “oh of course, it happened again” come out of someone’s mouth. It takes away from the tragedy of the situation, making the victims feel like a piece in a game — one they were unwilling to join in the first place.
Every life that has been stolen away from this world with unjust intentions deserves the highest memorial and respect. Those victims who died as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks will always be remembered in my heart… as will the victims of Tucson, AZ; Meridian, MS; Red Lake Indian Reservation, MN; Goleta, CA; Nickel Mines, PA; Salt Lake City, UT; Blacksburg, VA; Omaha, NE; DeKalb, IL; Binghamton, NY; Fort Hood, TX; Huntsville, AL; Manchester, CT; Tucson, AZ (for the second time); Seal Beach, CA; Oakland, CA; Aurora, CO; Oak Creek, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Brookfield, WI; Newtown, CT; Boston, MA; Santa Monica, CA; Washington, D.C.; Fort Hood, TX (for the second time); Isla Vista, CA; Charleston, SC; Chattanooga, TN; Roseburg, OR; Colorado Springs, CO; San Bernardino, CA and every other tragedy that has rocked this nation.
Writing this list saddens me, as it’s just a compilation of the deadly happenings occurring after 9/11. That’s 30 acts in 14 years. 30 acts of terrorizing violence that have completely shattered lives, tearing mothers, fathers, and children away from their families. Not counting the some 3,000 victims of 9/11, this list holds the souls of 260 people and the countless others whose lives were forever effected by the events that took place. These 260 individuals each deserve respect and remembrance, but the funny thing is, America, I bet few people even read through the entire list, let alone recall the fatal events.
We’ve all heard the reports of the recent San Bernardino mass killing in Southern California that occurred earlier this month. We’ve heard about the shooters and their link to terrorism, and the gunfight between the suspects and the police, and we even heard about the suspect’s brother and his mental health…but what we haven’t heard much about are the victims of this terrible event.
On Dec. 2, 2015, 14 people died, and I think that’s something we all need to reflect on. Yes, you may argue that people die every day and they never receive special attention, but these 14 individuals faced something that ordinary people will never have to go through. Their last moments of life were full of sadness and fear and hatred, so the best thing we can do for them is to remember them in happiness and love.
In this case, victimology has no type; these 14 people span across a wide variety of ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and age, but their demographics aren’t what make them special. As a public, we should go on remembering the man who was finally able to have a daughter, the woman who lit up a room with each smile she flashed, the two young individuals who had just begun planning their weddings, the valued peewee soccer coach, the man who laid down his life to save another, the fathers and mothers and sons and daughters —14 people who won’t be with their families for the holidays this year.
So, this is what I ask of you, America — remember those we’ve lost. Stop waiting for the perfect time to do something because that ‘time’ doesn’t exist. There’s no such thing as too soon or too late, those are just excuses we’ve developed to avoid the difficult things in life.
Be spontaneous, dance when everyone is watching, kiss that girl you like so much — what’s the point in waiting when things might be tragically different tomorrow.
Rest in Peace: Robert Adams, Issac Amanios, Bennetta Betbadal, Harry Bowman, Sierra Clayborn, Juan Espinoza, Aurora Godoy, Shannon Johnson, Larry Daniel Kaufman, Damian Meins, Tin Nguyen, Nicholas Thalasinos, Yvette Velasco, and Michael Raymond Wetzel.
