01 02 03 Life, Unconditionally: Loss and the Human Condition 04 05 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 31 32 33

Loss and the Human Condition

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Like clockwork, whenever a celebrity dies and their fans take to the internet to mourn them, someone inevitably asks why said people make a big deal over the loss of one life and not all the soldiers who die in battle. It's not that the people don't care.

It's a flaw in the human condition that many people are more likely to mourn the loss of one celebrity rather than the deaths of countless soldiers. But I understand why. We were all raised either around war and countless deaths or hearing about it in history class. People take it for granted that people die in war. It's not right and we can all acknowledge that, but that's how it is. So when a celebrity, front and center in the public eye, unexpectedly loses their life people don't know what to do. We aren't all raised just accepting that famous people will die in tragic car accidents.

I have loved Paul Walker ever since I saw him in "She's All That" as a child. He may have played the douche bag, but he was MY douche bag. He smiled once and I was a goner. So now, after ten years of following him and his career, it's difficult for me to accept that his smile has been taken from the world- only to be seen in movies and photographs. It's like James Dean all over again. I think the fact that Paul Walker wasn't driving, and his notoriety from playing an expert driver in the Fast and Furious franchise also added to the weight of the situation.

I have no shame in admitting to be a Fast and Furious/ Paul Walker fangirl. In fact, my sister can vouch that I fought hard for my "dibs" on him. Rest in peace Paul Walker, there will never be another smile quite like yours.


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