Great is the hand that holds dominion over/Man by a scribbled name

I guess I just feel like letting my thoughts flow out tonight; not really like talking to anyone, just anonymous venting, I suppose.
Five people from Taylor were killed in a car wreck; one arrested for soliciting a minor for sex; one rolled his car 5 times (survived) and many suspect it was a suicide attempt; and one is in the hospital in critical condition from blood clots in bad places. It's been a happy time here at good ol' Taylor U. Sadly, it doesn't really surprise me. Somehow, I get the feeling that this rash of 'bad things' is not done; something has yet to happen. I hope I'm just being paranoid.

I'm not sure how I feel about any of this. Yes, it's tragic and upsetting (and in the case of the arrestee, disgusting), but life does tend to be tragic and upsetting and, in the words of the lovely Amy Watkins, sucky. Yes, those who loved the ones who died have every right to mourn. Those close to the young woman in the hospital ought to be concerned for her welfare, as should those close to the young man who rolled his car. But are those who aren't close to them responsible for maintaining a facade of grief? Don't get me wrong, it would be inappropriate to belittle the mourning and worry of those who love(d) them. What I wonder is, is everyone else also required to mourn? Must they weep over those they never knew?

Many people would say 'yes.' What I ask them is, why then do you not weep even more for those invisible children of Uganda? Of the Sudanese driven from their homes by their own government? The poor, the orphaned, the starving, the dying of the world? If we ought to bewail the loss of those we do not know, then we must equally grieve for all the wrongs of the world.

I propose a balance, a middle ground: do not mourn if you do not need do, forced mourning only cheapens those who truly feel a loss. Instead, support those who are grieving, respect their pain--but do not cheapen it.

This life is short, this world is ugly. True, there is beauty in it--sunsets, waterfalls, music, love, and so on--but truly the decay the world is in will soon overwhelm what little loveliness remains. These reminders of our mortality ought to shake us out of our complacency, remind us that we were not made to sit inside our sterile bubbles, safe from the outside world. After all, everyone dies, it doesn't matter how.

What matters is how you live.