Observations

Tragedy! Emotions!

A local high school junior was taken to the hospital after his parents discovered him passed out on his bedroom floor. He was found with a belt strung around his neck, apparently doing something called "the choking game" where individuals intentionally try to choke themselves in order to attain a brief euphoric state or high as they pass out. He didn’t survive.

"He participated in a lot of activities here at our school,” the school principal said. “He was a member of our golf team and our academic team. He was just a great kid and fun to be around. We've lost a student but it feels like we've lost a member of our family. It's tough right now because we don't have a lot of answers. A lot of students were really close to [him] and we're grieving.”

I know the boy’s step father; He and his wife must be devastated. Sorrow and sympathy are the first emotions that rise up. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a child; I don’t ever want to know.

The next emotion to arise is anger. How can anyone be so stupid? What is wrong with kids these days? Or is it “kids these days?” Kids have always done stupid things. It’s just that when something like this happens, it seems so “new,” so “unusually stupid.” What a waste.

Technorati Tags: School Tragedy, Death, Emotions