Sometimes lives are ruined, devastation happens and the world crumbles, but, “Hey, it happens!”

In the past decade there has seen one horrific event after another, and while the average person sympathizes these terrors, for the most part, that’s the only response.

As a society, we have grown immune to these tragedies, most notably the ones involving gun violence. Acknowledging the numbness these events bring state much about our humanity, or rather, the lack thereof.

Maybe for us, it is hard to grasp the concept of any piece falling apart in our ordinary, secure, Perry High School lives, however, we should not let the fear of discussion stop us from grasping reality.

Sharing condolences is our safety net, and far be it for us to post about how devastating the losses are before we return to our routines almost instantaneously. The troubling part about these “thoughts and prayers” is that people are using this tactic to avoid meaningful conversation about gun violence, and even more so, to avoid simply feeling the impact of these tragedies.

No one wants to embrace the pain of the victims and the survivors. It is overwhelming and painful to submerge yourself into every photograph and vigil that is shared via the Internet each time another person loses their life to gun violence. However, by building a wall to block out the heart-wrenching realities of gun violence is to continue to normalize these tragedies and prevent them from happening again.

Recently on Feb. 23, it was arranged over media that on 11:11 am that Friday, students would come together and have 17 min. of silence to show remorse for the 17 Fla. victims. This is how we heal as a society. This is how we defy the idea that we can normalize school shootings.

Gun violence is tiring to discuss. It seems that we talk ourselves into the idea that we are doing something about monthly school shootings and massacres in public areas, yet do nothing and block out the searing loss of humanity that occurs when we forget how to mourn.

However, it is quite a sight to see young people raw and hopeful fighting to make a difference in a world that does not feel the weight of each loss of life anymore. I applaud those individuals who acknowledge the reality and truly strive to affect the word for the better.