After “Sex is like a box of chocolates.” from last week, several of my peers have approached me to inquire about whether or not the events described in my column were fact or fiction. To clear the air, every word was true. The bigger question is, are we so arrogant and naive that we cannot fathom knowing someone with HIV? Do all suffer from a severe case of the superman complex? I think so, and therein lies our problem.
HIV/AIDS and other STDs do not have a face. You can’t look at an individual and know they are infected, and just because you are young or you are smart or you are pretty does not mean you are immune to infection.
Oftentimes as young people we see things on the news or hear about things in class and never imagine that they could happen to us. We may pick up a paper and read about a local robbery, then leave our apartment door open because we are so convinced that we won’t be robbed. However, the recent unfortunate events that have occurred since the last issue of The Panther have confirmed how strange life is and how short life is. It has confirmed the importance of living in the moment because honestly all we are guaranteed is this moment.
I would like to send out my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Antwan McKinney and Trinidad Lamond Foster, as well as my prayers for the healing and recovery of Chris Hill.