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Since Whitney Houston’s passing, all I’ve heard people say is what a “tragedy” it is.  How “tragic” it is that she is gone at age 48 from what the LA Corner’s Office declared as “unknown causes”. 

Defined by websters, a tragedy is, “a disastrous event.” 

I’d like to explain the difference between Whitney Houston’s tragedy, and a real tragedy.

Whitney Houston battled drugs for a long, long time.  She had people around her that enabled her to continue to live this kind of life style.  We see this kind of thing happen day after day, people think they’re bigger than the drug their using.  They think that they won’t fall into the trap.  That this won’t happen to me.  That Heath Ledger wasn’t being careful, but I will be.  That Michael Jackson just used his drugs stupidly, and I’ll be smart when I use my drugs.  That Marilyn Monroe was just reckless with her drug use.  That Jimmy Hendrix was just a druggy and didn’t know how to use them properly.  That Elvis Presley, Anna Nicole Smith, John Belushi and Chris Farley were just junkies whose time was coming. 

None of these are “tragic” stories.  Their stories of the same-ole, same-ole with the same end result.

Let’s talk about tragic. 

418.  That’s the number of U.S. soldiers lost in Afghanistan in 2011.   That’s tragic.

230,000.  That’s the number of people who died in the Tsunami in South Asia in 2004.

9/11 was tragic!

The holocaust was tragic!

The plague was tragic!

Racism, prejudice and segregation were tragic!

Take some time, read a dictionary, learn what words mean before you relate a word that refers to something as "a disastrous event", to an event that was just a waste of something perfectly good.

Thanks Bo.  When you waste yourself away, it's not a tragedy.  It's a result of your decisions.

You all make very good points and it was a tragedy they say a picture is worth a thousand words and I agree.

Until you have served this great country you will never truly know what our freedom really means
we all have choices in life Whitney made hers and I along with others made mine never forget the
soldier that gave you these freedoms.

"Rangers Lead The Way"

Brandon I have so much respect for you young man more than ever before.
Some of us soldier this country with weapons and some of us soldier for Christ
either way we soldier on some of you guy's may not have served but you fight 
good fight and that means so much I am proud of each and every one of you guy's
God Bless.

Tragedy and hero are two words that are rarely used properly.  Good post.

  I guess I got a little off subject there but the picture of flag draped caskets just moved me. Thanks for posting it.

Ditto!

I agree, but I believe some things can be tragic without the outcome actually being a tragedy.

Just imagine the tunes Hendrix would have put out had he not died.  With his rep I wonder if he could write sober.  That was a waste for sure.  I wonder if whitney and michael are singing backup for the elvis now. lol