Your Problems Are Not That Big

It's dawned on me today that given yesterday's tragedy at Virgina Tech, my problems are not that big. If my biggest problem is that each morning I have to wake up and go to a job that doesn't stimulate me, like 8 trillion other people in America, then maybe I'm doing okay afterall. I'm not saying its right that the mass of men live their lives in quiet desperation, but sometimes the universe shows you that things are worse. That there are people in this world who need help. That there are bigger things outside of your window if you can stop being concerned with yourself long enough to pay attention.

Reading the transcripts and stories of whats beginning to surface is absolutely heartbreaking. You can't help but put yourself back in your own college classroom, wondering what it would be like if you were taking notes one second, and dropping to the floor in the next wondering what the hell is going on.

What breaks my heart most is that the media is already trying to make a story out of blame. That the cops didn't act fast enough during the first shooting to lock down the campus. Having come from a large university myself, I know for a fact that if a shooting took place in a dorm, at 7:15 a.m. no less, when 95% of students are still asleep, there would have been no way to shut down an entire campus immediately. The second shooting occurred in the 9:30 hour, when 85% of the campus would still be asleep. Further, without knowing any facts of the case in the dorms, there is no reason the police should have shut down the campus.

I remember on 9.11 I was working at the gym, closing it up after it was determined that school would be closed that day, and as late as 2 p.m. students were coming into work out. When I told them the gym was closed because of that morning's attacks, many had no idea what I was talking about. They hadn't turned on the news or signed online that morning. I imagine it was very similar at Virginina Tech. On large campuses, news travels slow. And never underestimate the bubble that most students live in for four years.

In any case, I remain glued to the ongoing coverage and updates and today, find myself, a little less concerned with my own miniscule problems. As we all should.