Texts, Tears, and Childhood

This week, the Korean ferry disaster is in the news quite a bit, and one of the aspects of it that is really making headlines is the fact that so many of the passengers, mostly teens, used their cell phones to either text or call their loved ones. In book three of The Warrior Chronicles, Warrior's Realm, a similar thing happens. Cort and his company of Ares Marines are overwhelmed by an enemy force. In an effort to give their fellows a chance to survive the onslaught, Cort and a couple of others overload their power packs. But before he hits the button, Cort sends Kim Point, his love interest, a brief message saying goodbye. You will have to read the book, or find the teaser I posted about it, to learn what was in the message.
The concept is one that I spent a lot of time working on. I had to make it a message that Cort would send, make it realistic for what such a message would contain, and make it the right length for the amount of time he had to get in position. But that was all for a twenty-first century warrior, in control of his own destiny, fighting a twenty-fourth century battle on another planet. How would it play out for an average person? A teen, no less.
One young man texted his father, "Dad, don't worry. I've got a life vest on, and we are huddled together." Another sent a group message to his friends. "If I've wronged any of you, forgive me. Love you guys." Those two teens have not been found. One teen that is safe after being rescued, sent, "Mom, I'm sending you this now, because I'm afraid I might not be able to say it later. I love you."
To have written my scene just a few days before the ferry disaster, and then see teenagers send their loved ones messages that are so similar to what my fictional hero sent his fictional love interest, is bittersweet to me. On one hand, it feels good to know that today's teens, facing their own mortality, think of those they are leaving behind. I would like to think it's not cultural, but rather a trait that most teens embody. After all, they are growing up in a world with much more death and sadness than the one I grew up in. But on the other hand, it sad to me that a teenager has to demonstrate that kind of courage. It's one thing when a Marine recognizes the approaching scythe being wielded by Death's bony hand, but when a group of teens faces it just as bravely, I wonder what happened to childhood.