Every day, we hear news of a kid shooting up a school or the police doing what they do best. Violence has become something we expect but for obvious reasons, it’s something everyone can do without.
Growing up as Christians, most of us have a touch of God or the idea of Christianity and the church. Whether or not you believe that is up to you. But the point is that we can’t continue to call this “the will of God” “fate” or “bad luck”.
The common factor with every violent story we watch on the news and hear in the neighborhood is us. We are what’s causing the pain we so greatly fear.
Violence is something we choose to do. For generations, we’ve had to bury proteges and mourn those we wished buried us instead, and sadly they have left us by the wicked hands of violence on our streets and via institutions. We are forced to ask questions and it’s time we develop answers so we learn the lessons and impact our tomorrows.
This is a collection of ideas discussing the issue of violence in the world. We know you get it, and we appreciate your participation in making this piece even better.
Today, if we get shot, all people see is a black man with a gunshot. Don’t get me mistaken, anyone could get shot. You don’t necessarily have to be black or a man. But let’s not bury the truth.
According to the DOJ1, black males are most vulnerable to violent victimization. A majority (51%) of them are young adults between the ages of 17 to 29. Homicide is the ultimate crime with an irreversible effect that echoes beyond the loss of human life. When it comes to the loss of life, no one suffers more than those we leave behind. The feeling of loss, anger and the desire to satisfy such loss blights the lives of the victim’s families and communities.
For every victim in a violent crime, there are secondary victims. What we’re left with is a system of hurt black men hurting other black men. A circle that never ends, bringing with it a violent environment that has a negative impact on society.
A review to evaluate what can be done to break this circle and birth a new system is relevant not only because of the effect of taking a life on our conscience but to preserve the lives of those we love.
The Vicious Unending Circle of Violence
Poverty is a risk factor associated with violent crimes and victimization at both the individual and community levels. Financial inequality can cause all kinds of problems. With the growing gap between society’s richest and poorest, there is also a significantly different view of life in general.
To an average person, many of the violent crimes in poorer neighborhoods seem senseless: a guy steps on a fresh pair of sneakers and loses a tooth in the next couple of minutes. Now most of the time, these violent acts are carried out to demand respect. But what does that say about you? If you have to go so far to feel respected or feared, can you really say you’re living the best life?
At the national level, a crumbling economy may be accompanied by budget cuts in the law enforcement system, leading to a heightened state of lawlessness on the streets. And a disregard for the law by law enforcers, exposing citizens to the worst way of living.
No investor is looking to set up investments in areas with high crime rates. No inflow of resources means property values go down, businesses can barely survive further exacerbating poverty, which in turn leads to further violence.
Schooling and Education
As young adults, we do not want to see children become victims of violence. We want them to have better opportunities, and live better lives. Some of you are so noble you do what you do to provide and protect those coming after you. Keep going champ!
High levels of violence and homicides have a negative impact on schooling and educational outcomes. Today, young adults with poor-quality education face diminishing economic opportunities as a result, they are more likely to engage in delinquent and violent behavior. Both formal (schooling institutions) & informal (family, and society) education are key elements in the development of young minds. Protecting our schools and their students preserves a better future and safer communities.
The Economy
Chasing the bag is a message we’ve heard all our lives. The message is constantly being passed on in music, movies, and schools, by our fathers, mothers, and friends. It’s a message we simply can’t escape.
What we all seem to ignore is the effect of violence on the economies of our societies. Economic developments are delayed or abolished when there are repeated cases of lethal and nonlethal violent crimes.
Coming together as a community is supposed to be good for you. It gives you job opportunities, necessary services, and all the good things that make life worthwhile. However, all that is destroyed in poorly managed cities with high populations and gangs. There is a clear link between strengthening the economy and reducing crime rates in our communities. But the only way to get that is to give our communities a chance to grow. If every one of us looks to protect rather than destroy, our odds will become significantly better2.
Conclusion
The life you want to live starts with you. Violence is something that should be reserved, only dished out when necessary. It’s heartbreaking to see innocent victims on the news. It’s unnecessary to use guns in situations that could be resolved by taking a step back and considering opposing opinions.
Doing this is hard, every once in a while we tend to revert to that protective instinct that pushes us to violence. But let’s try to do our best, and then better.
Sources
1 https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/bvvc.pdf
2 https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/Booklet1.pdf
