This past week has been a very difficult time for our country.
The unexpected shooting at Virginia Tech has left a lot of people in tears, a lot of people filling up with hate, and a lot of people confused.
I have noticed the terror that has spread throughout my class, since we are expecting to go to college this fall, and it seems to be consuming us all. So many people throughout the world are looking at the shooter in disgust; they think he was a lunatic who became blinded by anger.
Every person out there has a heart full of sympathy for the families, students and staff who have been affected by this tragedy. I find myself to be in a similar position.
My heart has no room for disgust, fear, confusion or hate; my heart is overwhelmed with sadness. It is so heartbreaking to know that there are people out in the world that devalue human life so much; I can hardly bare it.
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Throughout the past several days, every time I have turned on a television I see the shooter's face, and I want to weep. To think that one person could cause all of this commotion and completely rearrange the lives of millions, it just cannot be.
Just last week I was talking with a couple of my best friends and all we could think about was how excited we were for college, how everything would start for us there. Now, when someone brings it up, we look at the floor and awkwardly change the subject.
Something that used to bring us so much joy now brings us guilt and, for many, fear. This person we do not even know ruined the one thing that we could not wait for. In the two days following the shooting, I would catch my mother starring at me, and I could feel the pain in her heart.
It has been hard enough for her to cope with the fact that her baby is going to a different state, now she has to worry about whether or not I will even be safe while I sit in my classrooms. I will probably never be able to say goodbye to my parents again without giving them a kiss and hug and telling them how much I love them.
I remember exactly how I felt during the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and it is the same gut-wrenching feeling I have today. It seems as though right when we feel we are safe again, when the world seems to be okay for the first time in a long time, something like what happened this week happens and stirs it all up again.
I wish the case were that terrible things such as these do not usually happen, but the reality is that our world is full of terrible things and we may never be able eradicate them all.
My heart fills with sadness for the victims of this past week. I cry for the people who will never be able to live there life the same ever again because of the shooting. I die inside thinking about how miserable our country will be for the next month or so.
My heart breaks the most, however, for the fact that I now see that the world will never live in peace, and that everyday someone will being feeling alone, angry, confused, disgusted, scared, hateful and sad.
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Annie Harman is a senior at Detroit Lakes High School.
