You never expect it will happen to you ... until it does.
In a 24 hour period starting around 10 p.m. on December 7, the students of The Catholic University of America were placed under lockdown not once, but twice. The first was confirmed to be for an armed suspect on campus, and the second was for the possible return of the suspect. While details are murky on both incidents, the fact remains that students at CUA have been irrevocably changed.
I cannot speak for everyone, but I can say that I have never been in a more terrifying situation. I do not remember 9/11 and have only witnessed recent acts of terrorism through the lens of a television camera. I would not say that I am flippant about my safety, but I have never felt less than safe while walking around campus no matter what hour of the day or night. I don't think that I will feel that way again anytime soon.
Within a day, people have had to grow up to the world around them. As much as I love being at college, you cannot say that it is an accurate representation of the world around us because we are still under a certain set of rules that the university places on us (as much as we would like to say that we are adults). It is truly saddening and heartbreaking for such reality to have hit so close to home. All that most of us are trying to do at this school is exercise our right to an education. And though we are under the umbrella of a religious institution, that should not be a reason to target us. Yet, that is what we have become to someone: a target.
Going to school the day after the second lockdown was an incredibly eye-opening experience in its own right. After observing the three hour delay, I made my way across campus to the Pryz, which had been the building that I had sheltered in the night before. I did not know how ready I would be to face people, thinking that there would be hysteria or a heavy cloud of tension over the students. I was surprised, however, at how many people I saw that day who were holding themselves together, and how strong a union that the community created. People in my classes made sure all day that no one had to go to class alone, and there was such a beautiful outpouring of love and kindness towards friends and classmates alike. It cannot change what has happened, but it certainly gave me a sense of normalcy.
I don't think that the love shown today is something that people only show in times of trouble. I believe that we are all capable of that emotional connection with other human beings. That is what is remarkable about our species. We have the power to love, to cry, to scream, to care. We have the power to make the world beautiful. We just need to use that power to the best of our abilities every day of our lives.
