#aurora

>>>>Author's note: Obviously I believe every word I am about to write, otherwise I wouldn't write it. However, to stay polite and allow for *civilized* debate (without sarcasm please) I will be writing this in a opinionated style.<<<<

>>>>Another note: As of the time you read this specific note, this is still a rough draft. This note will be removed when I'm finished editing.<<<<

Last night there was a terrible shooting in a movie theater in Colorado at the screening of the new batman movie. People died. People were hurt. People probably soiled their clothing from fright.

Real people. Not video games or movie actors. Someone's friends and family.

One woman, a young, aspiring sports journalist named Jessica Ghawi, and also known as Jessica Redfield, was shot and killed. I find her story is most identifiable because I too am a young, aspiring sports writer, and because her story has been most accessible.

You see, Jessica survived a similar shooting in Canada while visiting her boyfriend about a month ago. She wrote about it. She documented what she experienced and her story is out there for people to read.

The following is an excerpt from her post on the Easton Center shooting:

I can’t get this odd feeling out of my chest. This empty, almost sickening feeling won’t go away. I noticed this feeling when I was in the Eaton Center in Toronto just seconds before someone opened fire in the food court. An odd feeling which led me to go outside and unknowingly out of harm‘s way. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around how a weird feeling saved me from being in the middle of a deadly shooting.

She concludes with this:

I feel like I am overreacting about what I experienced. But I can’t help but be thankful for whatever caused me to make the choices that I made that day. My mind keeps replaying what I saw over in my head. I hope the victim make a full recovery. I wish I could shake this odd feeling from my chest. The feeling that’s reminding me how blessed I am. The same feeling that made me leave the Eaton Center. The feeling that may have potentially saved my life.

I believe (see author's note) the feeling she mentioned was the light of Christ warning her of danger. While this was written a full two weeks before she was gunned down in Colorado, I also believe the repeated memories she mentions of the Easton Center shooting were also a warning of what she would face in Aurora.

To many, this may not make sense and is obviously arguable. "Anyone would remember something that terrible and think about it over and over again in the following days and weeks," people may say. Of course they would. I'm not disputing that at all, but I have learned when feelings repeat themselves in my life, it means something that is going to make me feel that way again is about to come.

My Facebook status:

This is so sad. This woman died in the theater in Colorado after surviving a Toronto shooting. She might have been saved if she'd recognized the spirit better.

If you thought by "this is so sad" I meant "she's a heathen who deserved to die" instead of "this is so sad that this woman died," c'mon guys...

The rebuttals for the comments which followed:

"Please tell me you're being sarcastic with this post." "And even if you were, way #toosoon"

Absolutely not. I don't like to #joke about serious stuff like this.

"I do think, Tavin, that your recognising the spirit suggestion may be worth editing, BTW." 

Perhaps so, but not for the same reasons that I'm guessing (assumption) the eight people who liked or wrote this comment have. Journalists need to stay aloof from having strong opinions on social matters. Even if I get a job paid for by my own church, it will still be very important to stay neutral.

"She died because somebody shot her, Tavin. Not because of a lack of faith." 

Obviously a bullet killed this woman. That's not a point I was trying to argue. If faith saved every person who ever had it from physical death, there would be a lot more prophets walking around today.

"Agreed (to the previous comment), however this is not an attack on religion. If anything, maybe if the shooter had "recognized the spirit" he would have felt some better purpose than murdering people..." 

I'm not 100% sure what the this commentator is trying to say here. The bullets killed people and God didn't stop the shooter. It has happened since the beginning of the human race.

"...But leave the victims be, people are senselessly killed regardless of their beliefs." 

Another point I wasn't arguing. Again, I was not denouncing Jessica's death as her own fault, or the fault of her faith or disbelief or whatever. I was and am happy she felt what I believe (again, read author's note) to be a communication from God. If we never talk about victims, we never think about and implement ways to prevent more victims.

"Tavin, as a US citizen, can you help me understand why your otherwise lovely country has this crazy obsession with lethal weapons?" "Crazy obession? It is the wacko that is crazy, not the gun. What a tragedy, but guns don't kill people, people kill people." "Tavin, Drew and I continued our robust debate privately, and with no unfriendliness between us, just very different views! Don't worry that you raised a debate, it's good to have people discussing it. It's an emotive issue, but I think those of us who've been involved in the discussion can still like each other." 

I'll give you my opinion on it then. Guns have recreational uses and are tools for creating food. They were also imagined, designed, and perfected for one thing: to kill people. While I do not own a gun or plan to ever carry a concealed weapon for home defense (although I do not argue the reasons others do), I enjoy shooting recreationally. People kill people, but guns kill people too. Is that diplomatic enough for everyone?

"I like you Tavin, I think you're cool and I'm glad we're friends. We need to get out and hike or play some Ultimate or something, before Summer sneaks away again."

No arguments here. Also, I'm shopping for a guitar. Any thoughts?

Okay, so even though we got a little distracted from the topic there at the end, I welcome comments here... in the comment section... obviously... Again, no sarcasm or joking. This is way too serious for that.