Different World

 The University of North Carolina went on lockdown last week as a gunman walked into a classroom building, shot his faculty adviser, and left. There was no way for anyone to know or comprehend the motive of the killer. Would he be going from class to class, building to building, murdering innocents until he ran out of ammo? Probably saving one last bullet for himself? 

The chaos that ensued on the Chapel Hill campus roiled on after the shooter left. Students at the university climbed out windows and hid in closets as they waited for word. Was the killing over? For these kids, the news reports they have been watching for their entire lives suddenly included them. These were no longer strangers. They were classmates. Friends. Relatives. 

Parents waited anxiously for word as authorities tried to unravel the circumstances. The following day, the school newspaper printed a special edition, the front page of which featured the texts between those inside the terror and those terrified for those inside. "Where are you? Are you safe? Are you alone?" These are the messages that spun out into space while attempts were made to restore order. 

Attempts. In the hearts and minds of all those closest to the maelstrom, getting things back to normal will be difficult. For those managing their first few days away at college, this may put a tinge of horror on the rest of their lives. 

Meanwhile, the relative bright side will be promoted by some. There was only one victim. No one else was harmed. Police were able to take the shooter into custody without incident. 

Except there was an incident. A faculty member was shot and killed in a classroom, surrounded by hundreds of students going about their first days of classes, not expecting to have an active shooter drill become real. The echoes of other murders rang in the air: "I would have never guessed that he would be the kind of person who could possibly be capable of this kind of thing. He was always very quiet." And "You never think this is going to happen to you, no matter how much we see it in our world." 

You never think that you live in the world where people you know will shoot each other. 

Except we do.