Nick Stuban

Most tragedies result in unification and a changed viewpoint in most people's lives. After 9/11, an awakened America reflected on its materialistic culture and embraced the roots of the country through patriotism and moral values. On Friday morning, my high school was a sobered place, not quite as abrasive as a normal high school setting should be.

I was also ashamed to see different reactions to tragedy. Just because of one student's death, many people were crying over someone they didn't even know. It is disrespectful to jump on the bandwagon of grief, just for attention. If you didn't know Nick Stuban, it's okay to be sad and sobered, but it's not okay to be talking about how much you miss him when you never talked to him. 

In today's public media, Facebook is how we express things to the world. I saw many statuses talking about how much they would miss Nick, but I also saw statuses saying they would miss Nick even if they didn't know him personally. It is a noble thing to be sad after a tragedy, but it's a disrespectful thing to be sad about something just because everyone else is. It is not enough to wear black on the wake of his death to express your compassion; truly expressing sorrow for someone concerns specific actions.

Especially today, a lot of people have lost faith in the power of prayer. Whether or not you believe in God, don't mock those who do and are praying for Nick's family. Praying doesn't change anything, but doing so makes some people feel that they are channeling their grief into a higher power, and also letting Nick's family know that they care. 

Personally, Nick's death made me think about my problems in a different light. Teenagers are born to be dramatic. We have all gone through some sort of dark moment in our lives that we think will never end, and the only solution is to end it ourselves. Think about all the people you might hurt. Just take a deep breath, and remember that life goes on.