The Worst Day
From Feb. 18, 2008:
Valentine's Day. Singles Awareness Day. The Hallmark holiday. Most people wake up on February 14th thinking the worst thing that could happen would be that Cupid gets lost on the way to their doorstep. Students at Northern Illinois University were probably no different. But instead of roses and candy, Cupid handed many NIU students the worst day of their lives.
I had my first class since Valentine's Day tonight. I walked into the lecture hall, and then it came: the moment of panic when I realized that I was surrounded by 350 complete strangers. I don't even know the name of the person who sits next to me, let alone that guy two rows in front that always shows up late.
The tragedy at Virginia Tech had given me a reason to be cautious, but the NIU shooting has given me absolute fear. Am I supposed to feel anything less when the gun that ended so many lives was purchased just 40 minutes from my own school? I sat in my lecture and tried to pay attention to marketing segmentation and product development, only to find myself wondering if this class could be next. Wondering if the person sitting next to me could be capable of such a sick, demented thing.
I met a girl over the weekend whose best friend had been shot at NIU. She was released from the hospital within a few days - her boyfriend hadn't been as lucky. It stops my heart cold to think that a friend could one day go to class and never come back.
It's tragic that we live in such a world where we have to fear our lives all the time. My heart goes out to the victims of the NIU tragedy, and my prayers go out to the ones left behind to pick up the pieces. No one deserves such a terrible memory.
After all, they were just going to class.
Valentine's Day. Singles Awareness Day. The Hallmark holiday. Most people wake up on February 14th thinking the worst thing that could happen would be that Cupid gets lost on the way to their doorstep. Students at Northern Illinois University were probably no different. But instead of roses and candy, Cupid handed many NIU students the worst day of their lives.
I had my first class since Valentine's Day tonight. I walked into the lecture hall, and then it came: the moment of panic when I realized that I was surrounded by 350 complete strangers. I don't even know the name of the person who sits next to me, let alone that guy two rows in front that always shows up late.
The tragedy at Virginia Tech had given me a reason to be cautious, but the NIU shooting has given me absolute fear. Am I supposed to feel anything less when the gun that ended so many lives was purchased just 40 minutes from my own school? I sat in my lecture and tried to pay attention to marketing segmentation and product development, only to find myself wondering if this class could be next. Wondering if the person sitting next to me could be capable of such a sick, demented thing.
I met a girl over the weekend whose best friend had been shot at NIU. She was released from the hospital within a few days - her boyfriend hadn't been as lucky. It stops my heart cold to think that a friend could one day go to class and never come back.
It's tragic that we live in such a world where we have to fear our lives all the time. My heart goes out to the victims of the NIU tragedy, and my prayers go out to the ones left behind to pick up the pieces. No one deserves such a terrible memory.
After all, they were just going to class.
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