It feels like the world is falling into a place where violence is no longer shocking. Every day, there is a new headline. Whether it’s someone’s life getting cut short, a community falling apart, or just another reason to feel unsafe in this world. And the tragedies aren’t scary themselves, but it’s scary about how common they have become. We are all surrounded by anger, hate and division. It shows the way the world chooses violence instead of understanding. Violence isn’t only about physical attacks, either; it also shows up in posts, speeches, or threats. Teenagers are growing up constantly seeing violent headlines, traumatizing videos and arguments online, which makes the world feel scarier than it might’ve felt in the past.
Take, for example, the assassination of Charlie Kirk last year. He was speaking at Utah Valley University when he was suddenly shot in the neck by someone watching from afar. And this wasn’t just the death of a man; it was a symbol for something bigger. When disagreements stop being handled with words and are replaced with bullets, it shows how fragile our sense of safety has become. This event shows that even public figures, who are supposed to have protection, aren’t safe anymore. If someone who is guarded can be attacked, what does this mean for the average person? Disagreement used to mean debates, protests, or walking away, but more and more people think that violence is the only way to make themselves heard. Freedom of speech feels like a threat when speaking your mind can literally cost you your life.
Another tragedy was the murder of Iryna Zarutska on August 22 2025, a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina. She has survived the war in her home country, only to be stabbed to death on a train because of hate. Her story tells us that violence doesn’t only come from wars or faraway places, but it exists in everyday places, where innocent people get caught in it. Refugees already carry the trauma of leaving everything they know to survive, which makes Iryna’s death harder to accept. Iryna escaped war, only to face a violent death in what should have been her safe space. She was supposed to feel safe in America. Hate isn’t always silent; sometimes people act on it openly, which means that anyone who feels different could be in danger. Iryna being attacked on public transportation shows how places of freedom and refuge can be deadly.
And then, the shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado. A teenager opened fire on his classmates before taking his own life. Schools are supposed to be safe, but this tragedy is proof that they aren’t always. It’s not just about this one shooter; it’s about how easily young people can be influenced and led to believe that hurting others is an option to handle how they feel. This tragedy is heartbreaking because the shooter was only 16 years old. Someone who should have been worried about grades, sports, or friendships, not carrying out violence against other students. Children in schools should never have had to start practicing lockdown drills or wonder if their school is safe, but for many of us, it’s just a normal part of growing up.
These three events may seem very different, but they all point to the same truth: that our world is drowning in anger and violence. From politics to schools, anger has become deadly. We’re not just losing lives, we’re losing trust, compassion, and the simple belief that people want to care for one another instead of destroying. Together, these examples prove that violence is not only connected to one place, age, or situation. It can happen anywhere, to anyone.
What makes this even worse is how normal it feels. News of shootings and murders doesn’t stop us in our tracks like it used to. We see it on the internet and scroll past it. We shake our heads. And then another tragedy happens. When we start accepting violence as an ordinary part of life, we just let it grow. Something that is upsetting is how fast the news moves on from event to event, making it feel like these matters weren’t important enough to be in the light of the news. Sometimes people even joke about shooting or turn tragedies into memes online, which just shows how numb we’ve become to suffering. When we stop feeling the weight of violence, we also stop believing that change is possible, and that’s where the problem grows.
This isn’t about sides or politics, it’s about remembering what it’s like to be human. Violence should never be the answer, yet it’s becoming the new language of our time. If we don’t find a way back to empathy and respect, we are just risking a world where no place- not schools, not trains, not even a public stage- feels safe anymore. The truth is that as students, we shouldn’t have to think this deeply about violence at all. But the reality of the world we live in forces us to. I have hope that empathy can be powerful. Simple acts of kindness can make a difference; we can all inspire others to care. The future does really depend on whether we choose to let violence define us, or whether we fight back with humanity and the courage to do better.
