~A Reflection~

This tragic experience with Taylor Bradford was a real eye opener. It really made me realize how short life can be, and how wretchedly it can be taken away. This was a terrible event that happened here at the University of Memphis and from it I have taken a greater appreciation for life and what it is worth. We should all be grateful for the people who touch our lives on a daily basis, no matter how big or small the scale. This young man, like many other young people whose lives are tragically cut short, did not deserve such a terrible thing to happen to him. I also pray that at some point in his life, he was able to see how many people loved him and the number of lives he affected.

Although I am a freshman, and therefore did not get the pleasure of knowing Taylor on a personal level, I could honestly feel the effect of this event. He and my brother were friends on Samford University’s football team before he transferred here to the University of Memphis. He was also close to the friends I had here before I came. So being a witness to their pain touched me also. It is a very painful thing to watch people grieve.

Not only is the fact that a fellow student is gone a sorrowful reality, but the way his life was taken is equally devastating. Good people do not deserve to die so horribly. The amount of crime in this city has put Memphis in a desperate state. A state that begs for immediate attention. Drastic measures need to be taken to prevent senseless events from happening. It is really sad when people begin to become immune to crime because it happens so often. It also puts the city that we call home in a state of shame. We as students at the University of Memphis, and on a greater scale, the citizens of Memphis can not and should not continue to allow things like this to happen, especially at our school. I love this university and it should not be allowed to be sucked into the ugliness of the rest of this city. Instead, the city should rise up to our status -- a place of development and growth that provides opportunity for a better life. It should be a place where people can nurture their families and be comfortable knowing that they are safe.