What does life mean to you? Is it all about nice cars, lots of money, maybe being number one? Or perhaps it's more about helping those in need and protecting what you believe in? Whichever you think is most important in life, be sure that our actions don't come without a price. What is up to you is that you must decide if that price is worth it. Me personally, I believe that the purpose of life is to live it, helping as many lives as you can, while still protecting your faith. To me, the two most important things in life are faith and love. The love which I refer to is the love that you have for your fellow humans. The love that puts them in a place of importance in your heart. Even if you don't know them, their lives are still important to you.
We all go through so many trials thoughout our lives that we either forget what's really important or we find what's important. When we are given a test in this life, we find out what type of person we really are. We find out what means most to us. To everyone, the things that matter differ, but the thing that stays the same is that we all value something important. Every person on this earth places something above themselves. Sometimes people value materialistic things over other things, but that doesn't mean that they are wrong. It just means they see value at a different level than others do.
Many people have had experiences which leave them devastated and questioning life. I think that every person, in order to find out what life truly means to them, they have to go through something life changing. You can't find importance without the struggle behind it. It's the struggles we go through which creates our understanding of the value of life. Without that struggle, we can never really know what life means. We can't see how important something is without knowing what it's like to not have it.
So what does life mean to you? Have you been blessed with the true understanding of it? If not yet, then one day you will find it. One day, each person on this earth will go through something which helps them find the meaning of life. To some it's cars and money, but to others it's helping and caring. Me, I choose the latter because that is the only way to help others find the meaning they are searching for. Hopefully, we all will find our own meanings in time.
By now, I'm sure you have all heard of the Binghamton shooting which occurred on Friday, April 3rd. For those who don't know about it, here is a little information on it. Friday morning, a man went on a rampage, killing 13 people and injuring even more. The shooting occurred at the American Civics Association which is an organization that helps immigrants with immigration and citizenship. Before entering this building, he barricaded the back door with his car and entered the front of the building, shooting two secretaries upon entrance. The shooting only lasted three minutes, but it took hours to clear the building and while it was being cleared, the high school was on lock down and many frantic people were unaware of what was really happening. Hours after the first shots were fired, they found the gunman dead.
This isn't a news report, so don't worry about that. There are many things about this incident that I find interesting (not the murders, the after-occurrences). There is one thing that can't be argued, this was a premeditated act. Why this massacre occurred, we will probably never have that answer. There are two conflicting reports which really interest me. The first report stated that the gunman's sister couldn't believe this happened. She said that her brother was a good man and that she never could imagine him doing this. The second report, after saying his name was something different than the first, stated that his family wasn't surprised of his actions. They supposedly reported that he had a drug and gun addiction. Of course we can't believe what the news says, but I find it interesting that there are two completely contradictory stories published by two respected news sources.
What could make a person do this? I believe that any answer you could have to that question would be nothing but an excuse. Everybody has a hard life in one way or another. Every single one of us will face times in which we think there is no way to come away from it; no way out. The thing some of us forget is that there is ALWAYS a way out, no matter how hard it is. There is always a solution to every problem. No matter how hard something gets, with time, there is always an answer.
What would bring someone so low as to take another's life is a question that I have been thinking about a lot. Of course we don't know this man's life, what he was facing, what he had been through, what emotional and psychological problems he may have had. The one thing we do know though is that something pushed him so far that he decided it was worth it to take the lives of 13 innocent people and ruin the lives of many more. Psychological issues are on the top of the list of reasons for murders, but there are no excuses for such an unforgivable act.
This man may had thought that there was no way out or even that there was nothing left to live for. He may had believed that his problems were too big or that his life was too hard for him. No matter what he was thinking, he was wrong. No matter how hard something is, it is never quite as bad as it seems. Look around you. There are orphaned children living on the streets starving, there are people who are blind but trying to live their lives on their own, there are people who can't walk but still strive to be the best people they can be, and there are single parents trying to raise a family and take care of everyone on their own. When we look to these people, we realize that our lives aren't as hard as we think they are. We tend to get caught up in ourselves and forget this. No matter how difficult something is, we can overcome it. The only thing that can stop you from success is yourself. There is always a way out if you want it badly enough. There is always a better life waiting for you to find it. Nothing in this world is bad enough to resort to such violence. Always look to the future of what could be instead of looking at a past that you can't change. No matter how bad something looks, it could always be worse, just don't let it get there. You have to be the best you can be and try your hardest to succeed. Never give up on yourself and you will see how much better life is.
