What is wrong with this world?!

I’ve been reading the newspaper daily since there’s nothing else better to do sitting on the bus, only to find out that this world has become a rather unsafe place to live in.

Candidates of presidential election are no longer winning their vote by persuading people with their policies, but rather seizing every opportunity to verbally attack/degrade others, hoping to win as the result of rivals’ downfall. Is this a new way to elevate their self-esteem? Is this the behaviour expected of a potential world leader nowadays?

Economic depression has finally revealed its secret veil, as the result of world economic dependence on US.. I don’t know the exactly detail, but all I could hear everyday is,”the apple stock just drop another $30 per share, I lost $2000 dollars”, “so did microsoft stock!”, ” Well, almost none of the stock had any significant increase, let’s put it that way.”

Gangs are openly killing and murdering their targets in public, completely disregarding the justice system and challenging the law force. I would find this kind of news on the front page every couple of days. Just this morning, a shocking headline stated that a 18 -year-old man was set on fire by 4 men he didn’t know. Has target for killing expanded to non-specific? All I could say to myself was, “I’m glad I don’t recognize the victim…”, a futile effort to self-comfort…

Last term, a bomb threat was alarmed in the hallway of LSK building in UBC, at the same time I receive email from my friend in Winnipeg telling me about a shooting threat in University of Winnipeg…Everyone knows about the Virginia Tech incident…and since when has that kind of action become a fashion trend? Today, an alert email landed in my inbox. Apparently, UBC has also caught up with the trend….

There has been a police incident at the Bio Sciences Building, which is located at the intersection of Main Mall and University Boulevard at the University of British Columbia.

On the advice of the RCMP, the Bio Sciences Building has been locked down. Building occupants have been instructed to stay where they are, to secure the room in which they are located, and to await further instructions from the RCMP.

No person will be permitted to enter or leave the Bio Sciences Building without RCMP authorization.

Out of an abundance of caution, the RCMP is advising that others on campus stay where they are currently located. All campus occupants should be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious circumstances to the RCMP at 911. Persons who are not on campus are advised to remain away from the campus until further notice.

Further information, as it becomes available, will be posted at http://www.ubc.ca.

Stephen J. Toope
President and Vice Chancellor

Friends ask me why most of my blog posts present emotionally depressive material…Good Question…I can only ask How can I stay uplifted and positive with all these thoughts in my mind…For those of you feeling depressed these days, worry not..you are not alone.