Week 1: #Trending

I am writing this as of 6:58 p.m. on Sunday, January 26. This morning, the sad and shocking news of Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter in a helicopter crash has somberly echoed throughout the world. I personally, before his untimely passing, was indifferent on the man, the father, and the legend who was Kobe Bryant. I always knew he was great, but I never knew how great he really was. When I first heard the news, I was stunned, and I was disbelieving and doubting every story I heard, picking apart every detail to find a loophole where this shocking story could still be untrue. Truthfully, I was delaying the inevitable realization of this horrid situation. The realization that our world lost a legend today, and its sad to think about how much untapped knowledge and potential died with Kobe today. Usually, when an awful event or situation occurs, meme culture appears valiantly to mock or lighten the situation, our tensions with Iran as a prime example of this. But today, upon hearing this news, everyone was hurting, and no one was joking. Because whether you adored him or scathed him, you respected him immensely. Kobe Bryant was a fierce competitor, a loving father, and a determined human being who valued hard work above everything else. I do not know if I am a victim of the moment or not, but this death just feels different. This man was so happy, and in what he thought of as the prime of his life, and he worked so hard to become the untouchable legend he was, and yet he is still human. This man ruptured his ACL, then walked calmly to the free throw line and made both shots, this man is held high on a pedestal by millions of aspiring basketball players, and yet he is still human. I was never a devoted fan of his, more a distant admirer, but upon reading various stories about this man, I wish I was a devoted fan. I feel so ashamed of myself that I heard the narratives of Kobe being arrogant and selfish throughout his career, and just instantly assumed they were true, and I based all of my judgements on him based off of these exaggerated insults. I wish I took the time to understand the man, Kobe Bryant. I saw this quote from Kobe Bryant to his daughters on the night of his jersey retirement, “When you get up early and you work hard, those times when you stay up late and you work hard, those times when you don’t feel like working, you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself but you do it anyway: That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, then what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams. Your dreams won’t come true, something greater will. And if you guys can understand that, then I’m doing my job as a father.” This quote does as good a job as any at displaying a taste of Kobe’s mamba mentality, his champion mentality. There are three main reactions I have noticed towards the passing of a legend. The first is utter shock and disbelief, usually short tweets, simply summarizing their shock, because right away, his death is hard to process. The second is condolences, which sometimes acts as the formal way of displaying their grief over the situation. The third is an anecdote from Kobe Bryant’s extensive life, which usually conveys the most emotion and sincerity. The saddest part of this whole situation is when we learned that Gianna, his 13 year old daughter, along with seven others including the pilot died as well, and that the crash left no survivors. The deaths of the seven others on board were not covered really at all, and in all honesty their only coverage was just their group death total, just a number, not a name. This is especially appalling, because every life is valuable, whether you are Kobe Bryant or a college baseball coach for Orange Coast. It is a tough thought to think about how violently these 9 precious lives perished. This is a day where you truly realize how lucky you are to have your family and friends. Life is a gift, you have good days, bad days, and your last day, live every single one as the best human being you can be.