I’ve been trying to cope with the news of the Vegas shooting for days now. I’ve been trying to find the words to say and felt the best way to express was in my writing. Previous shootings, I was sad and prayed for the victims. As a millennial living in modern day America, I lived through some of the “major mass shootings in America”. The bar sadly keeps on being raised. I had a hard time focusing after learning more and more details of the Las Vegas shooting. I fortunately did not have friends or family affected, but my heart hurts for my friends who did have people in their lives’ affected. This shooting affected more people on a grander scale.
The Impact
This shooting happening in Vegas hits close to home for most as they have been to Vegas on a weekend getaway and/or celebrated a special occasion, or they live in Vegas. I’ve been to Vegas for a fraternity formal, my 21st birthday and in June when I attended Electric Daisy Carnival. Why this event is even more traumatizing is because it was at a music festival. Whether you’re a fan of country music or not, doesn’t matter. This is about being a lover of music and appreciating times to enjoy live music. It’s the fact that when you go to a music festival or concert, you’re signing up for a day, night, or weekend to listen to your favorite artists and spend time with those you attend with.
After being at a festival in Vegas in June, I couldn’t imagine the chaos and fear that ensued for all attendees. It’s terrible. There is no other way to put it. When you enter a music festival, you mentally leave everything you came with for a weekend. Unplugged for once from the daily stresses of life, you leave that at the gates and are welcome into a stress-free world for a moment. The last thing you think is going to happen is someone shooting it up and murdering innocent lives. The Vegas terrorist compromised a mentality and freedom that comes with attending a music festival or concert. He took away our comfortability and our sense of safety. Something we thought wouldn’t ever happen, did.
How Do We Move Forward?
As we do with any shooting or crisis, amidst the chaos we see people coming together to help each other. Millions of dollars have been raised and are continuously being raised. I’m not super heavy into politics, so I hope some solutions can come to light and that I will be informed enough to do my part to enact change. For the future of music festivals in terms of safety, there will probably be talks of how to increase safety across festivals not just inside but to be prepared for external factors like this.
I pray for the victims, I pray for the families, I pray for the physical and mental recovery for everyone that this shooting affected, I turn to prayer and you can turn to whatever you believe. You can still donate to a GoFundme for the victims here. Find a local blood bank near you and donate blood if you can! Even if they have enough blood in Vegas, your local blood bank may be in need of blood if they sent some to Vegas.
If you’re scared to attend a large event in the near future, it’s okay and it will be okay. Do not live in fear and do not let evil win. Still enjoy your times with your friends and family while you can. ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings. Report any suspicious activity and stay safe. One last thing: hug your loved ones, spread your love to them, spread kindness to anyone and everyone you encounter. If you’ve been having difficulty and need someone to talk to, I’m always here.
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