Pushing Your Political Agenda In The Face Of Tragedy Is Nothing But Disgraceful

After class, on February 14, 2018, I came back to my dorm and turned my TV on to hopefully see the Olympic events of the afternoon.

NBC broke to breaking news of yet another senseless school shooting in South Florida. I watched as live footage was on the screen of students, not much younger than me, running and sprinting out of their high school with their hands up.

An active shooter killed 17 people, and at least 12 more injured.

I then got on Twitter in the afternoon, as the tragedy was unfolding. At this point, no one exactly knew what was happening. The reporters were just arriving to the scene of police outside the school, trying to understand the series of events. I found numerous tweets, literally as the shooter was at large, calling for "gun control", "who is to blame?", "how is this normal?"

I can't understand how people can immediately start playing the blame game, when in real time, there were families trying to find their students among the 3,000 in that high school. They were just hoping they were alive and got away from the fire of the shooter. Where is the sympathy?

How are we supposed to move on from this tragedy when people can't even start to process what actually happened that day and so many other days in American history? How can we be better and bring change when we can't even begin to sympathize with families that just lost loved ones? We can be better.

Lives were ended too short. And all some people can say is "It's Congress's fault...It's the President's fault...It's the shooter's parents fault" among other reasons.

We are supposed to be UNITED as people.

Yes, there is a fine line of where people stand politically, but for once, can we act as brothers and sisters and really understand what happened to these families? A senseless act of evil, by a mentally unhealthy citizen cut short 17 lives: some students graduating in May, some just starting the crazy ride of high school, some faculty acting as heroes, saving students from being hurt.

I pray not only for the friends and families of victims in Florida and the Parkland community but also that we, as Americans, can make positive change in the direction where nobody has to feel unsafe going to a public area, especially a high school.

Can we really legislate the pure hate in someone's heart? Only God can change it.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6