A child's back-to-school routine takes an emotional turn as he reveals his secret email drafts.
Many of us have felt reluctant to return to school after a long break. But one student took this feeling to a tragic level, secretly drafting "goodbye letters" for friends and family. The truth behind these messages was revealed on the Facebook blog "PostSecret," and it was far more heartbreaking than anyone expected.
The anonymous student revealed his "goodbye letters" to the PostSecret community, explaining that he feared for his life. Writing these letters had become part of his "back-to-school prep" due to the increasing threat of mass shootings in the U.S. "I spent the night writing goodbye letters to everyone I love," he explained further as part of his submission to PostSecret.
“(I) was about to copy and paste them into email drafts when it hit me two ways,” the school-going child wrote, elaborating that it was “sick” that this was part of his “back to school” preparations and his fellow mates may have felt in a similar way to how he did. The kid wants to spread this idea as “other students might find comfort in doing the same thing.” However, the child went on to say that he is now coping better with his fear of mass shootings.
“I am much less terrified now,” the letter stated. Notably, crime watchers have recorded 385 mass shootings across the country so far this year, reported BBC. These include incidents that took place in public and private settings with at least four people getting shot or killed. From 2019 until the previous year, there have been more than 600 mass shootings, amounting to an average of two every day.
It’s probably the rising crime rates and the growing environment of active shooter drills on campuses that affected the child. He added, “When the shooting starts, it'll take me just a few seconds to pull out my phone and say my goodbyes.” The letter attempted to echo the anxiety among many students stemming from their fear of school shootings as they start with every other new school year.
Moreover, the child who shared his letter expressed hope that other people his age would take inspiration and follow suit. Many people on the internet started reacting to the Facebook post shared earlier in October, empathizing with the kid. Additionally, it has managed to garner appreciation from the community in the form of 12,000 likes and is still counting.
Criticizing those who advocate taking away cell phones from children during their school hours, Bev Free-Hunkus remarked, “So many times, it's the last time a parent gets a text from their child.” “That's horrific that kids have to deal with that,” added Katie Backa. Dubbing the kids’ move as “heartbreaking,” Joe Dee Bee said, “This is not normal, and my heart hurts for those for whom it has become normal. I hope the U.S. does something about their gun lust. I hope students can feel safe at school again soon.”