In addition to How We Die

[Akanari]

A young man died yesterday. Well, many young men probably died yesterday, but a young man that I -knew- died yesterday. I wasn't informed until about ten minutes ago from someone that attended a meeting I was supposed to go to but because of previous engagements had to miss. He was in that organization, Model United Nations. One of the Administrators came by to tell everyone at the meeting. Mod, the things I miss. He wanted to go to Stanford. He probably could've gone to Stanford, because he was one of the top of the class. He fenced, and was ranked as a C (quite high in the fencing world). His name was Stanislav Krivosheev, but we just called him Stas. He was one of the most outstanding characters I knew, I mean, he was just ridiculously outrageous.
And now he's gone. "Stas was in a car accident yesterday and passed away." Passed away. Passed away!? He's dead! His heart does not beat, his blood does not run, and his eyes no longer see. Neurons in his brain do not fire, and no neurotransmitters fit themselves into neat little receptors. He will never swagger after winning a bout again, and no longer will I see him wave around a hand and lunge, demonstrating a fencing move.
Knowing happens in a single moment. A blink, and someone's gone. It's happening every moment in someone's life.

And even more often is someone being brought into this world. America hit its 300 millionth person this morning. It took 39 years, I believe, for America to grow its population from 200 to 300 million. It will now take at the most half as long to grow another 100 million. I mean, I'm sure immigration has something to do with it, but this is ridiculous. And we are hardly the fastest growing country in the world. What about health care? Natural resources? How in the world can peace be kept when we will be spilling over each other's borders. Social Security is going to be crap, and we're counting where the 300 millionth baby is going to be born. Well, actually, they don't know where the baby is or if it was an illegal immigrant. Perhaps it was Madonna's new kid, eh?

Gaia is going to retaliate someday. Either we will destroy her, or she will destroy us, but that won't happen in our lifetime, right? Right? ...whatever.

[/end rant]

My grief seems pointless. It's angry, almost. I'm tired, so veryvery tired. And I have no right to be. My problems are nothing compared to others, and I'm so lucky in life that sometimes I just can't believe it. I've stumbled upon such wonders.

I complain too much. But why, why, why, why today. Everything is simply a moment, but when each moment seems to be heavier than the last, when will I be able to tell when I'll collapse? Wait, too late.

xEditx

<< I feel like I'm such a depressing person on the forum. I really am quite cheery most of the time, but someone's gotta hear my ranting side. ...Stas.

[Kudasai Hiroki]

Rant away sister! I am sorry for your recent loss. One of the less deplorable traits of humans is memory and it seems he lives on quite vividly in yours and I'm sure countless others he's touched during his life.

[Hoth]

I completely understand all of that! My Grandma did that dying thing this last Wednesday. Hurt me a lot.

You may wish to check out a movie called "The Five People you meet in Heaven"

I highly recommend it.

[Reverend]

We rant because we come up against something larger than us, something we don't understand.

How come people die?

More to the point, how come people who we think have all the reason in the world to live have to die? I've got no answers, heck, I'd wager much of human culture has been one long struggle to define our place in this world prior to death. To know that we made a mark on the world around us, that we stood atop a monolith with our arms open and shouted at the approaching storm "I existed, you cannot take that away from me!"

I think Stas is happy to know that he exists with you still.

Modbless.

[Akanari]

The worst thing today were the sad smiles I'd share with the people who knew him. I could tell by just looking in their eyes. ...Today "He was" echoed through the halls.

Thanks Hoth, but I've read the book. I'm sorry about your grandmother, but yes, understanding is good.

As for death...We have to die. Sometimes it seems completely natural, simply old age, and they pass on with complete peace on their faces. Then there is violence. Violence from cars, violence from other humans, and violence from things such as predators. The latter form of death seems to be characterized by a general quality of suddeness. Chaotic suddeness. I'm at once entranced and appalled.

And perhaps inspired. All this stress, all these test scores, all these exam dates, none of it is worth a person. Everything stops. Everything should stop, for people.

[Kagerou]

Well, the recent info is that he had a full ride to Harvard and was going to go there, instead.

Yes, this week has been total hell, but not only for us students, the teachers as well. I'm sorry for telling you later, but I think I would have rather told you then instead of letting you wait until the next morning to hear about it.

Yeah, sure, we all die. I'm content with that, but it was -not- his time. There are people who have everything and throw it away. He earned everything and never got the chance to pursue his dreams.

The world is not as fair as it should be. although it seems like childish ranting, i firmly believe that people like him are not fated to die this early. it's not fair. it's just not fair.

I was never afraid before, but now I am. Well, perhaps not so much afraid as accepting.

[Akanari]

A full ride to Harvard...I'm not surprised.

It really hit me today when I got home when I was looking at pictures of him.

I'm glad you told me, and thank you. I would have broke down (like I need another one) if I had first heard it from Dr. Flint.

It just seems so closer...and Dr. Fryman is scaring me. Well, not scaring, but he's scaring some people. He seems afraid. For us, and for him.

This will pass. Like any other storm.

[Blackmage]

Fate is interesting like that, you hear stories of good people who die young all the time. Who have everything they could want in the world and have worked very hard for what they have.

[Ultrawolf]

[Akanari]