Response to Vegas Tragedy: Fear Should Not Dictate Our Lives
With the tragedy that occurred in Las Vegas, our nation continues to come together and remain resilient. Fear should not dictate our lives.
The tragedy in Vegas is heartwrenching, 58 people dead and over 500 injured. The thought that someone targeted a defenseless and unsuspecting crowd that was just there to have fun, is sickening. The shooter, whose name I will not write in an effort to not give him the glorification he was seeking, was not a part of the concert. He was a spectator. He spectated that a lot of people, close to 40,000 people, would be at the Harvest Festival that night.
This is among the numerous attacks that have happened recently including the attack at Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester, the shooting at Orland Pulse club and shotting at a Eagles of Death Metal concert in Paris. Why are these type of events being targeted? This is what psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts has to say:
I believe the choice of event was a psychological strategy — to inflict as much fear, chaos and terror into the general public as possible. The choice of city was also likely chosen on purpose, to send a message that the the joy and fun of Las Vegas was being judged and punished. The ultimate goal here is to take away people’s freedoms and to take away their love of life.
I will never lose my love of life, I will not be cowered into never attending a concert or festival again. I have been to so many in my lifetime and don't ever plan on stopping. I will not live my life in fear of what could happen, but I will be aware of my surroundings. I will make more observations than I usually would. Will I expect things to be different? Of course. I expect now that I won't be able to take much more than a phone and ID with me.
As far as the precautions for safety go, I think that guns should maybe be something we more closely monitor. Perhaps the process for getting a gun should be extensive. I don't know what the solution is, but I won't stop doing what I love because of some maniac that decided that he wanted to invoke fear. My heart is heavy and I'm sending light and love to every single person. But, this maniac does not get to decide what we do next. We do. We stick together, get through it and remain brave. Land of the free, home of the brave.
If all of the tragedies in this world make you feel like you need to talk to someone, there are multiple ways to do it. Including the local Mind Springs Hotline, open 24/7: 1-888-207-4004. They also have a 24/7 text line, just text TALK to 38255.
If you'd like to donate blood, you can always do so at the Pavillion, at St. Mary's at 750 Wellington Avenue, entrance 22. You can also check out their Facebook to see where the Bloodmobile will be.