The cyclical nature of life never has been more apparent than in recent weeks. The deaths of several LSU students and one faculty member have brought the reality that life does not last forever on earth to the forefront of our campus community. It is not that we do not deal with death on a daily basis. Death is on the front page of the newspaper, more details are available on the second page, and a few pages later, there is a complete listing of everyone who has recently passed away. But instead of being sensitive and emotional about death, we are confronted with it so often that it has become a regular occurrence. Our feelings are dull and numb to the sensation of the tragedies.
I knew of each death this semester. One student was in my major, but I did not know her, others were members of the Greek community and though Greek, I did not know them either. Not knowing any of the deceased students allowed me to keep these tragic events from becoming personal. Instead, I rationalized them as lapses in judgment, irresponsibility or the inability to handle the pressures of life.
I did not realize what a horrible attitude this was until Monday. That afternoon I learned the most recently deceased student was an old friend of one of my friends and the sibling of a student in my roommate’s graduate program. When I began thinking about my friend, her feelings and the feelings of others who loved the person, I became embarrassed because it had taken so long for me to feel anything about these situations.
Though I sympathized for all of the families, I had not felt any real emotions until recently. All along I should have grieved because each death meant one fewer person to know, one fewer fan in Tiger Stadium, one additional empty desk in a classroom, and one fewer person to befriend.
Every time something happens to a member of our community, we all should feel something. The death of a fellow student, faculty or staff member should be as intense for all of us as a win on a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Death is not something that just the family, relatives and close friends of an individual should have to confront. It should be something we face as the LSU community. Each death should be a cautionary note to be more responsible, a more aware friend, or a more concerned roommate or neighbor.
To a degree, the lack of emotion that accompanies death is proof that we do not hold a very high value on life. Death ought to be a reminder to take advantage of life, gently telling us to live in the moment, not recklessly, but in a way that we are conscious that the moment may never come again. It should not take a tragedy to learn compassion and empathy for others. Be thankful when the tragedy does not directly affect us, but be aware that it could be someone we know the next time.
Though it is easy to get caught up in the shuffle of 30,000 people, each person in this community is an integral part and when one piece is missing, we all feel the loss.