You Can Go to Movies and See It All There

As all of you have surely heard or read, Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early yesterday morning from gunshot wounds he suffered in an early-morning robbery attempt at his South Florida home. Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post (and "P.T.I.") has a powerful, if not also controversial, column on the tragic nature of Taylor's passing and how it has become an all too frequent occurrence in today's landscape.

Admittedly, my only information on the subject is filtered through other media sources, but something about the entire situation gives off the air that some detail, some lead, and some motivation is lurking below the surface. Perhaps it is the fact that another burglary occurred at Taylor's home only eight days before the fatal shooting or that in 2006 Taylor's vehicle was sprayed with a hail of bullets after he initiated a confrontation over the disappearance of some of his ATVs.

Since the news of Taylor's death first hit the internet and the airwaves, I have heard over and over again about he was changing his life and habits after the birth of his 18-month old daughter, and I hope that is true. With that said, the current limited description that we have of how the break-in and shooting occurred seems to point to the fact that this was not simply a random act.

As someone who is going to turn 24 in less than two months, I truly believe that Taylor's passing at such a young age is no more or less tragic than the death of any other 24 year old, regardless of their athletic, intellectual, or social gifts and abilities. Despite the fact that we have almost lived a quarter of a century, there is still this ever present notion that the curtain has just gone up and life is a wonderful show that has just begun. For Sean Taylor, the curtain has gone down much, much too soon.