[Opinion] The Devastation Behind Death

I have decided to write this article with the recent death of a girl from my school who just graduated this year. I will talk about this story further into the article.

The first time I experienced the feeling of losing someone was when my grandmother died about 7 years ago. I was heart broken, and it scarred me (in a way) for years. But, in hind sight, I understand now that it was her time, and that she lived a good, full, and rich life. This is why the death of a young person is so upsetting to me and others (who may not even have known the person).

The first time a young person died that I "knew" was last year. A girl at my church had been a helper often at youth group (she was about college age). She was the only member of her family (who is very active in our church) that I knew. I remember very clearly last year when the pastor delivered the news to the congregation that her brother, had committed suicide. The pastor was in tears, and so was I. Not because I knew him, but because I saw the impact his death (and life) had had on our entire congregation. This moved me to tears. Afterwards, I began to ask myself why this death was different than any other I had known. It was then that I realized that this death cheated someone out of life. He did not get what my grandmother got, a full and rich life. Who knows what he was destined for, if he had only asked for help. This sadness about the death of someone I hardly knew still hasn't left me. The next point that I remember feeling this way, is when I saw that a girl (my age) from Spring ford had committed suicide. Even though I did not know this girl, I still felt sad about the situation, because all of the potential in her bright mind was gone. I also felt sad for the family, as they were probably devastated. This girl was deeply involved with the church, going on mission trips, and she even started a foundation for her brother (who suffers from Leigh’s Disease). This girl had clear potential (being just fourteen), which is all gone because of one decision. The next two incidences were just this month, I saw an obituary on facebook for a girl from Bedford (my age again) who had committed suicide. The other was a girl who lives near my voice teacher, tried to cross the street when the walk light was red, and got hit by an unsuspecting lady.

The most recent example was quite painful for me. It angers everything inside of me. A girl who graduated from my high school this year, was trying to merge into a single lane, as was a pickup truck next to her. The driver of said truck must have been angered for some reason (it is unclear to me), because he pulled out a pistol and shot her in the head. She then crashed, and was dead on arrival for police. This enrages me greatly. It's one thing for a young life to be cut short at the hand of the individual, then there are tragic accidents like the one the girl near my voice teacher had. Then there are incidents where a young life is taken by force by a mentally ill individual. Whoever did this deserves to go to jail for the rest of their life. They took an innocent girl from her family when her future was brightest. I was shocked to the core, when I learned of this from my friend. This is absolutely horrible!

Often, when I think of lives cut short, I think of composers such as Scott Joplin (who made one bad decision in the bedroom that probably cost him a good 20 -30 years), Mozart (whose cause of death is unknown), and Franz Schubert (who, again, made bad decisions in the bedroom). I feel sad whenever I listen to Scott Joplin's Entertainer because of how his life ended, and some of Mozart's and Schubert's pieces as well (La Crimosa, and Ave Maria), but at least these people had a chance to build their legacy, this poor girl was deprived of that.

Here are a few pieces I listen to when I am sad because of death:

Sonata no. 8 Movement 2 - Beethoven

Mazurka no. 37 in A Flat - Chopin

Cantique de Jean Racine - Fauré

Pavane - Fauré

[Image Source (Cemetery): pixabay.com, License: CCO Public Domain]

Thanks for reading this! I am sorry if I darkened your mood today, but this was angering news. I did include a few relaxing pieces at the end. Make sure to check out the song I posted yesterday entitled "October." As always, feedback is appreciated. Please remember to check back later!

Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, As Well As My Composer Birthday Posts
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