By Bri Zeiberg ’19

Why should we allow tragedy after tragedy to keep us from living our lives to the fullest? Why is society only reminded to live each day like it’s the last after a life-threatening event occurs? It is only recently that I came to the realization that we should truly treat every day like it is our last. In the past few months, I’ve feared returning to school after the shooting in Parkland, Florida. I feared attending a concert after the Manchester Arena bombing and Las Vegas shooting. I feared getting the mail because of the recent Texas box bombings. However, I now choose to not let these fears disrupt the things a typical teenager should be able to experience.

Why should I be afraid to go to school? Why should I allow these tragedies to not motivate me to continue my life rather than fear the hypotheticals? Why don’t I choose to move forward in my life for the victims of the shootings who cannot?

In early October, after the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival, my mom told me that she didn’t want me going to concerts because she feared something like that occurring at a place where I was. At the moment, I accepted her concern as a mother, but now I have a different outlook.

As I reflected, I decided that the healthiest and most meaningful way to live my life is to not allow horrific events to interfere with my daily decisions. What I want to take away from all of the tragedies is that, as a society, we should live our lives for the lives that were lost. We should tell our loved ones we love them whenever we can. We should appreciate everything life has to offer in the memory of those who unfortunately lost theirs. We should do the things we are passionate about and pursue our dreams. We should live in hope rather than fear; not just for ourselves, but for the people who were taken too soon to live theirs.