Learning to Live

Just recently (as in like…yesterday? Or maybe the day before), a man in his 70s was minding his own business in a coffee shop…Beside him was a younger man of 30. For completely no reason whatsoever (other than the younger man being completely off his rocker), he stabs the elderly man. As everyone else in the coffee shop is in shock, he pushes the knife deeper in. He then sits back down and calmly waits for police to arrive as everyone rushes to the elderly man’s aid.

The frightening thing is that the younger man had been sent to a mental hospital for assessment (due to acts of violence and propert-related crimes) TWICE, but had been released by the hospital both times.

Also, this happened in downtown Vancouver…Not far from where I’m now working.

It’s different when the people know eachother. But, it’s totally creepy when it’s a random attack. Anyone could have been sitting next to that crazy. An elderly woman…A pregnant woman…A child…ME!

Sometimes I think about that when I’m walking in public. If they wanted to, someone could easily come up and stab me to death. Sure, there’d be consequences for that person…But, that’s the only thing that deters them from doing it…AND if they’re crazy, they aren’t going to give a damn about consequences anyway! It’s kind of scary. Especially when taking public transit. You just never know what people are like. The internet is an incredibly safe place compared to real life. Parents always tell their kids to be safe on the internet…Don’t talk to strangers! Yet, they allow their kids to go into the city without thought…A place full of TONS of strangers constantly sitting together on the bus and brushing shoulders on the sidewalk. You could walk past a convicted sex offender, a gang member or even a murderer all in the same day without even knowing it.