On October 1st, nine people were shot and killed at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, in the tenth fatal school shooting so far this year.

Since Barack Obama took the presidency in 2009, he has stood at a podium and made a statement on 15 different mass shootings. Since August alone, there have been four shootings on American college campuses. And since December 14th, 2012, when 26 people (20 of whom were children) were shot dead in Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been 142 incidents of shootings at schools.

The ugly truth is that we're not surprised by these anymore. We have become desensitized to the murder of our own people because we see it every day. We expect it. We wonder not if another will occur, but when.

The President addressed this numbness in his 12 minute long statement. His frustration is evident, and no matter your political views, it's a video that's well worth the watch.

"Our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel. And it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America; next week, or a couple of months from now."

The President is tired of this happening, as we all are. But he can't change it. That's up to us, the American people, and so many don't realize it. As I discussed the incident with a girl in my classes yesterday, she shrugged and said "Yeah, that's sad, but what can you do?"

Donald Trump and Jeb Bush have had similar responses. 'It's horrible, but these things happen.' The idea that these events are routine and to be expected- that is exactly the kind of distanced view of these situations that allows them to keep happening.

Schools are no longer viewed as safe places. Parents hug their children a little tighter when they get home every day. From kindergarten to senior year, students are engaged in fire, severe weather, and now, shooting drills. One of those things is not like the others.

Following the Charleston Church shooting a mere three months ago, Jon Stewart spoke about the incident on The Daily Show, and many of the statements he made are still applicable. At one point in the video he points directly into the camera, lamenting that "you know that this is going to go down the same path. 'This is a terrible tragedy.' They're already using the nuanced language of lack of effort."

It's terrifyingly true to revisit Stewart's words less than half a year later and see them ring true. It seems that we are constantly worried about what other countries can do to us, but we never stop to consider the damage we can do to ourselves, for this self-inflicted damage has become commonplace.

We live in a country where people are killed for their beliefs. We pretend it doesn't happen here, that killing of that nature occurs in some far-off place, but the fact of the matter is that the Roseburg shooter asked who was a Christian and shot the people who were. It's a haunting reminder of Charleston, Columbine, and the oft-forgotten Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting. Religious persecution, regardless of faith, is real in America, and we need to stop pretending it isn't.

I will not include the shooter's name in this article. I will not give him the infamy he desired. He is not the one we should remember. Instead, we should remember the victims, innocent people who were trying to better themselves through education. Lucero Alcaraz, Rebecka Carnes, Treven Anspach, Sarena Moore, Lawrence Levine, Jason Johnson, Lucas Eibel, Kim Dietz, and Quinn Cooper.

I encourage, and maybe even challenge you, the reader, to not find yourself numbed. Do not let the world harden your heart. Grieve for the victims, not just of Roseburg, but of Charleston, Newtown, Virginia Tech, Columbine and so many others. Tonight, tell your friends and family that you love them- you won't regret it. And most of all, do not stop hoping that one day this can all change.