Unnerved

One of the down sides to not having a job....I've noticed the news is on ALL THE TIME. I keep my TV on pretty much all day and because of this I tend to see the news about 3 times a day. I don't necessarily watch the whole newscast, I just hear bits and pieces as I pass by while doing chores around the house. Unfortunately, this is enough to be unnerved by what I hear. It seems to me that there have been more shootings in the past few months than usual (I hate that there is even a "usual"). As we speak the news anchor is talking about the shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. A couple of days ago we had a shooting at a local, and very popular bar downtown. The week before that a police officer was shot and just last night a teenager was at the park and was shot in the neck.

Perhaps the one that hit closest to home involved a man I didn't even know. It impacted me because the victim was a very good friend of some of my good friends. I never met him but it was made clear to me what a good man he was because my friends all loved him so. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. A victim of circumstance. The bullets weren't meant for him but for others he was with. For this act of cruel revenge he gave his life. The pain my friends have had to bear for the past week is tragic.

What is wrong with people? It makes me sick to think about what could be going through the mind of everyone I pass on the street. Or for that matter, the neighbor down the street that I don't know well. It's no wonder so many people in our world live in constant fear. A fear that can be so encompassing they can't leave their homes. I hate to be such a downer but sometimes I just can't bear to hear the news. I don't want to imagine a world so vile that stepping out of my front door is more of a chance I take than an opportunity to savor. Very sad.

I've gotta get a job because the news is really bringing me down!