The way the world is in this day and time is absolutely horrifying. We live in the greatest nation in the world, but our citizens simply do not, and are not, safe anymore. In light of the many recent shootings and mass murders in the US, it is quite obvious that a change needs to be made. I’m not going to shove my political views in your face, or discuss my opinion on gun control laws. I have seen many posts and articles on social media discussing ways to fix this issue: take away all guns, make gun laws stricter, bashing of the President and congress, considering having school teachers be armed… would this really solve our problem? I firmly believe the root of this problem is the unkindness in our nation.
People have always been cruel, and it is important to grow a tough skin because there will always be negative people who are harsh to you, or someone else. However, the bullying and simple mean nature of the younger generations has reached a point that it is leading people to do unspeakable things. Being recently out of high school, and even college, I have witnessed bullying firsthand many times, more times than I am proud of. Kids, especially, have terrible attitudes now. They mock and pick on people until they just cannot handle it anymore. They judge other kids for being even a little bit different: the way they speak, the way they act, the way they think… People are being judged and picked apart for every single thing they do. They are talked down to or talked about, laughed at… It is different in our generation than any, especially due to social media. People can hide behind a screen to pick on people. Sometimes the bullying goes viral and the whole nation is bullying or laughing at this person. THIS is the root of our problem. This is what leads to school shootings, self-harm, suicide, and much more.
As a nation, I truly believe our first step to stop this madness is to instill kindness into this world again. Bullying is an epidemic, and it’s in our hands to stop it. Parents, teach your children the importance of being kind, showing them through your actions how to live a life full of it. Students, show your classmates how easy it is to be nice to the kid everyone picks on, it will make a world of difference to that kid. If you see someone being picked on, try to stop it, or at least talk to them about it. Tell someone, and do everything in your power not to let it happen again. Teachers, remind your students of these values and teach them just how important they can be. We can be the change the world needs, we just have to value kindness, and realize how impactful it can actually be. Actions start a chain reaction, and if being kind becomes the norm instead of bullying, our nation would see unthinkable changes. If these recent shootings bring chills to your skin, if they bring tears to your eyes and sick to your stomach… Be a leader and make a change for the better. For the sake of yourself, your school, your nation, your world, and that kid who is bullied every day and cannot live with it anymore, BE KIND.