In light of recent events in Florida once again sparking brief concern about the issue of gun safety, I think that we should all reflect on the events and public apathy that have led to this current environment. 17 people were killed last week in a shooting at a Florida high school, and there have since been rallying cries across the nation for increased laws regulating access to guns, such as mandatory background checks before the purchase of a firearm. But these cries have occurred before, and we often find ourselves wondering how this can happen again and again.

Ever since I renounced Christianity in middle school, I was never interested in learning about other religions. But a year and a half into Amherst, with countless more books and writing assignments ahead, spiritual enlightenment sounded appetizing enough. I don’t plan on shaving my head and fasting anytime soon (my hair is a proud asset), but I have enrolled in the Buddhist Life Writing course here at Amherst to see what divine spirituality looks like, at least in theory. I quickly brought some of the theory down to the ground level, and began applying it in my own life.

It was an outstanding weekend for the Amherst women’s swimming and diving team, as the team’s trip to Samuelson-Muir Pool at Williams ended in a second-place showing at the NESCAC Championships. In a grueling weekend of competition, the Mammoths scored the second most points on all three days en route to a final tally of 1615 points, behind only Williams’ 1971 and nearly 600 points clear of third-place finisher Conn. College.