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Craig Scott was in a darkish place after surviving the mass capturing at Colorado's Columbine Excessive College that took the lifetime of his sister.
However one journey modified the trajectory of his life, and he harnessed the load of his grief in ways in which can be unimaginable to most, utilizing it to hold on his sister's legacy of kindness and compassion and positively influence the lives of tens of millions of individuals alongside the way in which.
Scott spoke Monday evening to a packed auditorium at Riverton Excessive College as a part of Riverton's Dwell in Actual Life program that was launched to fight the rising pattern of hysteria, melancholy and different psychological, bodily and emotional well being points more and more discovered amongst teenagers.
Not solely was Scott in Columbine Excessive on the day of the capturing, however he was hunkered below a desk within the library the place 10 of the 12 whole college students had been killed, taking shelter from the shooters.
"I am not right here tonight to concentrate on tragedy. I imagine that what we place our consideration on we give energy to, and the capturing is part of my story. My story isn't any extra essential than your story," Scott mentioned.
It might be hard-pressed for one to not count on Scott to concentrate on tragedy, as he skilled it in a really unimaginable vogue.
April 20, 1999, began as an everyday day for Scott. He talked about how he and his sister, Rachel Scott, had been working late to high school that day as a result of he was taking additional time to ensure his hair was good.
"I cared quite a bit about what individuals thought of me. Like numerous youngsters, I wished to be seen with the cool youngsters in school, or standard youngsters, and that was at all times essential to me," he mentioned.
On the way in which to high school, he and his sister bickered over the radio station that was taking part in.
"The final second that I had along with her was I obtained out of the automobile and I turned and checked out her and I slammed the automobile door shut," Scott recalled.
What Scott did not know on the time was that second can be the final time he would ever see his sister.
Whereas learning for a check throughout lunch within the Columbine Excessive College library, Scott described listening to popping noises coming from outdoors of the college. It was late within the yr, so he figured it was just a few seniors taking part in a prank.
It wasn't till a trainer bumped into the room, telling the scholars to get below the tables. Scott and two of his pals hid below a desk because the popping noises grew louder and louder.
The library was the primary room that the shooters entered that day.
"They went across the room simply selecting who would dwell and die — taking part in God," Scott mentioned.
Quickly, Scott would watch the shooters method the place he was hiding, ultimately capturing each of his pals proper earlier than his eyes.
On this second of shock, Scott mentioned he heard the voice of God telling him to get out of the library, so he ran out of an emergency exit right into a discipline the place he and others took shelter behind a police automobile.
Finally, different police vehicles got here by to select up Scott and different college students. As he rode away from the scene, a pal tapped on his shoulder and instructed him he thought a woman had been shot, pointing to an space close to the college.
"I appeared out from behind the police automobile and I could not inform within the second, however I used to be taking a look at my sister. My world modified and my household's world modified without end," he mentioned.
Scott's sister, Rachel, was the primary individual shot that day.
Setting himself free
After the capturing, Scott described himself as a unique individual and being in a "damaged place," the place he wasn't current; he was dissociating and offended.
"It actually began to negatively have an effect on my household and the individuals round me. I used to be not a straightforward individual to be round," Scott mentioned.
About two years after the capturing, Scott obtained a name from a church group that his sister was concerned with, asking if he wished to go on a mission journey to South Africa instead of his sister. Scott agreed.
Whereas on the journey, Scott was wandering across the village, attempting to shake off some nightmares when he was approached by a person who may inform he was upset. The person requested him what his story was, and Scott felt compelled to confide in him.
"He listened and (then) he instructed me his story," Scott mentioned.
The person instructed Scott a narrative of shedding his total household — 17 members — in a bloodbath.
"Then he instructed me one thing I by no means forgot. He mentioned, 'Forgiveness is like setting a prisoner free and discovering out that prisoner is you,'" Scott mentioned.
After this second, Scott determined to not solely forgive the Columbine shooters however to begin utilizing his ache and grief to make a optimistic influence.
"I got here again from that journey and my household mentioned I used to be totally different. ... In the event you take that anger and focus it on a purpose, it turns into willpower," Scott mentioned.
He mentioned his sister wrote an essay through which she talked about being sincere, on the lookout for the nice in others, not being fast to guage, on kindness and compassion, and her principle, or problem, that if one individual goes out of their option to present compassion, they may begin a sequence response of the identical conduct.
"My anger changed into willpower. As a purpose, I used to be going to be a part of my sister's problem," Scott mentioned.
With that, he and his father began Rachel's Problem, a program that has reached 26 million college students via dwell shows.
"She's impressed tens of millions to begin a sequence response of kindness and compassion," Scott mentioned.
Problem to alter
Scott challenged these in attendance to take steps to cope with emotions of heaviness, unhappiness and melancholy, saying that alongside his journey he discovered that feeling of unhappiness may be changed into an appreciation for all times.
"On the finish of your day, begin saying what you are grateful for. Even the laborious issues, even the issues which can be difficult, possibly the issues that you just usually complain about. I would like you to flip the script — it actually does work," Scott mentioned.
He additionally talked concerning the better societal have to not choose individuals by their title and keep away from labeling people based mostly on the way you may understand them.
"We have now a lot extra that now we have in frequent than we try this's totally different. We have now to understand our variations ... however it's a must to concentrate on frequent floor," Scott mentioned.
Dwell in Actual Life supplies various academic alternatives centered on essential points associated to psychological well being, bodily well being, security and different challenges that teenagers face frequently. Occasions are hosted twice a yr and open to all teenagers and oldsters throughout the better South Salt Lake County space.
The occasion was co-sponsored by Bluffdale, Jordan College District, Riverton Excessive College and Rocky Mountain Energy.
Monday evening's occasion was the eighth Dwell in Actual Life occasion for the reason that onset of this system in 2018. Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs mentioned that Dwell in Actual Life was born out of a college security roundtable with college directors in the course of the summer time of 2018.
"From that roundtable, we heard two issues: They mentioned, 'It actually can be good if we had extra college useful resource officers,' and, 'Is there one thing town can do to assist us discuss concerning the alarming pattern in anxiousness and melancholy and simply different psychological well being challenges?'" Staggs mentioned.
Because of this, the Metropolis Council funded extra college useful resource officers and began the Dwell in Actual Life Program, with Scott being the newest speaker of this system.
These desirous to study extra about Scott and his story can accomplish that right here.