We Weren’t Meant to Say Goodbye Like This

One moment, you’re packing a bag for vacation, double-checking your charger, trying to pick a playlist.

The next — a gunshot cuts through the laughter, and your name becomes a hashtag.


You’re out celebrating — music in the air, confetti in your hair, heart full of pride — and in a blink, it’s chaos.

A stampede. Screams. Shoes left behind. Smiles frozen mid-cheer.


Or maybe you’re just boarding a flight. Window seat. Book in hand. Texting a friend, “Will call you after landing.”

Only… there is no landing.


Worse still — you’re not even part of the journey.

You’re in your room. A hostel. A study table. Highlighters and late-night snacks.

And then — the sky falls on you. Literally.

Because a plane has crashed.

On your roof.


It’s brutal. It’s surreal.

And above all, it’s unfair.


These aren’t just freak incidents — they’re cruel reminders that we’re not in control.

We live with this illusion of routine and safety, assuming tomorrow will look like today.

But life? Life doesn't promise that.


Every single person who lost their life in these tragedies…

None of them thought this would be their last hour.

Not while sipping chai at the airport.

Not while dancing in celebration.

Not while solving an assignment.


And what can you possibly feel in the face of something like this?

Shock. Grief. Anger. Emptiness.

Sometimes — nothing at all.

Just silence.


I’ve trained myself to stay focused. To not let the world shake me too easily.

But this one… it hit too close.

My city.

My alma mater.

My people.


Now even scrolling through the news feels like walking barefoot on broken glass.

Too real to ignore.

Too raw to digest.


And yet, life expects you to carry on.

Meet deadlines. Smile. Post stories.

As if the world didn’t just fall apart for someone like you.

For someone you knew.


So, what do we do with this awareness?

This brutal knowledge that tomorrow isn't guaranteed?


Maybe we start living a little more honestly.

Maybe we start treating ordinary moments like the miracles they are.


Tell the people you love that you do.

Wear the outfit. Eat the cake.

Apologize. Forgive.

Say the thing you’ve been meaning to say.


Because no one expects to become a story on the news.

Until they do.


And none of us were meant to say goodbye like this.