Columbine, revisited.

Monday, April 20, marked the ten-year anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. I remember that day so well. I was a freshman in college, and saw students being interviewed on tv -- and realized, belatedly, that I recognized my distant cousin being interviewed, because she went there. I remember the candlelight vigil held that night, and everyone trying to wrap their heads around it. When I was in high school, this was unimaginable. We were able to come and go as we pleased, no one needed to wear an ID, the doors weren't locked to the outside, bags weren't searched.....we were safe. We felt safe. We were safe. I look back and see it as such an innocent time. I graduated high school right before all these school shootings happened, and it really was a different time back then. Even when I was in college, I never ever gave thought to the idea that a shooting could take place on my college campus. I mean, who does that? It was inconceivable. Is bullying getting worse? Are we getting more violent as a culture? Are we getting angrier, meaner? Are we becoming less tolerant, rather than more accepting? Or are more students daring to be themselves and are getting bullied because of it? Is mental illness increasing among teens? It could be none or all of these, but more likely a confluent mix. I can't believe it was 10 years ago. I was 18. Many of the kids who were shot were my age, or close to it. They would be adults now, possibly starting families or careers. And yet because of two young boys who cold-bloodedly hunted students down and taunted them before killing them, they're not here today - and their parents have that pain every day.

What's happening in our world?