Spring 2007: A Reflection

I would like to reflect on some of the events that have occurred nationwide and worldwide, during my spring 2007 semester at college. The most recent event would be the VA Tech shooting which caught worldwide attention. In January, scientists published new findings that conveyed the idea "Social status helps you live longer." Then suddenly on February 8th the nation was sent into celebrity shock overload. Anna Nicole Smith, former playboy bunny, was found dead in her hotel room in Hollywood, Florida. Events like these made me think whether things happening in the world would become any more dangerous.

OK, so doctors have invented medicines and treatments that are designed to help extend one’s life; but social status, that is just ridiculous. At first I thought maybe scientist were talking about the rich living longer because of their access to money and high dollar healthcare. When I reached the nut of the article, I was surprised to see that scientist were comparing people who had received Nobel peace prizes to people who were only nominated for a prize. According to them people who receive a Nobel peace prize live 1.4 years longer than those who didn't. On average that is 77.2 years for the average man, since this study was based on the male population alone. Scientists are always coming up with new inventions or revelations which should not surprise me, yet each time they do.

The next bombshell to hit our nation was the death of sex symbol Anna Nicole Smith. Smith was a woman who tried to mirror her life to 50s superstar Marilyn Monroe. It was apparent that Smith was obsessed with Monroe's lifestyle. She worked for playboy like Monroe and often overdosed on drugs just the same. On February 8th, 2007 when police began investigating her death, many thought it was a murder plot in relation to her son's death six months earlier. Her son Daniel died of a drug overdose in 2006. The idea of a murder plot would not have been far fetched since Anna Nicole's baby daughter Dannilynn is worth well over a million dollars. The Anna Nicole story stayed in news headlines for well over a month, almost until the incident of a tragic situation.

The tragedy that occurred was the mass killing spree that Cho Seung Hui decided to go on, on April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech University. Cho killed 32 people during his rampage, and then turned the gun on himself bringing the death toll to 33. People began calling this the worst shooting in American history, but what people have failed to realize is that the worst is yet to come. We don't like to think about things this way, but it is reality when we do. Ironically, Cho committed his crime only four days prior to the columbine shooting nearly ten years ago. A week after Cho killed so many people NBC media network showed a two minute portion of a video that Cho sent to them detailing his every move and his motive. The college community of UNCW sent their condolences to VA Tech as we have experienced a similar situation in our past. In 2003 Jessica Faulkner was killed by a mentally unstable companion on UNCW's campus. A memorial of two boards cut out in the shape of the VA Tech logo and the UNCW logo were both delivered to VA Tech this past weekend on our behalf. It is very sad when things like this occur on college campuses, it causes college students around the nation to become tense.

As I reflected on the events that have occurred during my spring semester, I hope that they will always remain just reflections.