The word most often heard among the Luther student body these days, contrary to popular belief, is not your favorite explicative, but rather simply and plainly “overwhelmed.” In fact, it’s the one word that seems to encompass the whirlwind of the next 35 days, regardless of whether you’re graduating like yours truly or moving from Brandt to Dieseth (my sympathies, by the way). May seems dauntingly close. Finals are looming, and research papers are lining up like shopaholics at the Target checkout with their Economic Stimulus Plan bonus in hand.

“Overwhelmed” is pretty much my new favorite word, especially as I sit in Olin on a Saturday night, surrounded by my classmates who are probably feeling much of the same sentiments I am toward the fact that our papers are due in approximately 13 days. It’s hard not to freak out when you realize that, (I’m not going to lie, I just got a little nauseated) because really, in our own little world, that’s the type of stress we’re dealing with right now. But maybe it’s time to come back down to the mother ship, the real planet Earth. In fact, it may be kind of good for us.

I actually just had one of those “come back down from the planet of Christin” moments. While taking a break from writing, I decided to check the news. I logged on to CNN.com and saw the usual issues regarding the current election campaign, an article about a new record-breaking swimsuit for the Olympics and that the economy is not supposed to be getting better anytime soon. But somewhere in between the headline stating that Dr. Phil bailed someone out of jail and that some rare bird flew over Washington (seriously, I think only my dad would care about that, he likes birds too much), there was a headline stating the climbing tolls of illegal and unidentified immigrant deaths.

The article told the story of a young, unidentified man who has been without a name and a claiming family for over a year. The man, or No. 8, as he is identified on the Web site, was killed in a car crash over a year ago. He was recently buried in an unmarked grave a few miles from where the car crash occurred, in a county-paid ceremony with no one but his gravediggers attending. Hoping to find a better life in the USA, this man only found a lonely death and an obscure resting place.

When I read things like that, “overwhelming” seems an exaggeration when used in what I presume to be a stressful situation. In fact, I feel pretty petty when I say I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed must describe this man’s mother, his father, his siblings, his family, maybe if he has them, his wife and kids. Overwhelmed must describe those left behind with shattered hopes of a improving financial situations, of someday moving to America, of someday living a better life. Overwhelmed must describe the fact that a human being must live the last moments of his life alone, never to be identified by those who love him. Maybe overwhelmed doesn’t even cut it. I don’t think someone can describe those feelings with words.

Putting your life into perspective is a powerful tool. I know we don’t often feel like it, but living at Luther does provide us with a community that cares. No matter how stressful it gets, there are people to talk, friends to vent to and family members to call. We are lucky to have people like that in our lives, to know that we are not alone even in the most difficult situations. We are lucky that we don’t have to fear losing our loved one on a trek in hopes to better our lives. Does it ever strike you how blessed we are to live in a country that thousands of people die to get into each year?