Something a little heavier

This blog post was delayed simply because I wanted to deal with a bit of a heavier topic and I didn't really know how.
And I still don't know how.
If anyone has been following the Santa Cruz news, then you would know that a lot of tragedy has struck the Santa Cruz community.
Between a student getting shot in the back of the head (she survived), the alleged rape on campus, the shooting between offices and a suspect that resulted in the death of two officers and the suspect and the boy who fell and died from the bridge on campus, it's been a rough few weeks.
I've seen the community of Santa Cruz come together and mourn the losses, take care of those affected, and rally together in support. And this makes me proud of the community I associate myself with.
However, I've also witnessed immaturity and hard-heartedness about the situation.
And this makes me less proud.
Just because thousands of people die from gun violence a year does not mean that it makes the fact that 3 were killed and one person injured in the last few weeks due to gun violence in your community any less terrible than it is. It doesn't mean we shouldn't mourn and that we shouldn't care.
Just because the rape has been recently reported to be fake doesn't mean that we should stop protesting rape culture and that we should stop educating our community on rape prevention and how to help those sexually assaulted.
And the death of a student should never give anyone reason to make fun of suicide or the person involved in the accident.
"Just because something" does not make a tragedy any less terrible, ever.
Now, this is a small portion of Santa Cruz, specifically students, who I've seen act like this, and most of it has been done on public forums on Facebook, but I have overheard some conversations regarding these topics in a negative and immature manner and it really breaks my heart when that happens.
Even if you personally do not know any of these people, there are those that do, family members and peers who are still grieving, and it's not kind-hearted or respectful in anyway to continue being immature and to simply disregard the tragedies as "something that just happens".
But, for the larger portion of Santa Cruz rallying behind now broken families and broken hearts with empathy and love, kudos.
A dead human isn't just a dead human, they are someone's sibling, child, parent, friend, co-worker, guardian or significant other. That person had a life on earth and a life that was shared with others. Oftentimes, I tend to mourn more for the ones close to the deceased rather than the deceased because they are the ones in need of compassion and love while dealing with their time of great grief.
I'm just saying...
Be kind, be respecful and be loving.

Love,

        Neffie

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautful place"
-Kurt Vonnegut

"Do everything in Love"
1st Corinthians 16:14