Almost everywhere we turn nowadays, one thing you'll notice is that violence seems to be constantly present there. That's the order of the day, both physically and in the media. From when we watch movies, listen to news, and even play video games, it has literally been embedded in our daily lives to the point that we can hardly blink an eye without a violent news report being reported, raising eyebrows and questions regarding if this exposure could have, in one way or another, contributed to the constant rise in violent behaviors across the world. And peradventure it is, what can we do to curb this crisis?
To start with, it's worth noting that although I'm not a fan of violence in real life, I'm a big fan of action movies that display loads of violent scenes, making normal movies without such scenes seem boring and unenjoyable to me, and I hate it because most of these movies have glorified battles, revenge, and destruction; even our media mostly projects news that highlights crimes and conflict almost on a daily basis, and talking about video games, there are loads of action games that do the same too, like some of you might have known via my publications here that I play games related to that in GTA, Brothers in Arms, and the likes; most of these games are aggressive.
But can we entirely blame all of these sections for the rise of violence in the real world? While I think they contribute to it in one way or another, still I don't think it's their fault, because I believe it's in human nature to be violent and right from when we've had no technology that showcases all these movies, news, or games. Humans have been involved in various forms of violence, fighting battles, and going to war against one another. In fact, when you look at some of the first world wars and the subsequent ones that follow, you'll almost agree that movies aren't a factor in human violence but their greed and dark cravings.
However, we can all still agree that sightings of violent acts are alarming lately, from witnessing domestic abuses to stress crimes and fights to terrorism, insurgents, and wars. It's like we're in an unending circle of brutality; it's quite disheartening, and all of these, I believe, are a result of the loss of value for human life and dignity, and we mustn't ignore this if we want to make the world a safe haven fit enough to raise our children and future generations.
So how can we combat violence?
Education and Awareness: I believe one thing we can't stop doing is creating awareness for people to know the danger they're causing when they indulge in violent acts, and that's when we must teach values such as empathy, respect, and conflict resolution from an early age so that generation would abstain from violence and aggressive behavior; these can be incorporated into our school lessons.
Responsible Media Consumption: Even though I don't think they play a huge role in why this happens, I felt there's a need to do something about these, and one way to do that is for parents to monitor what their children are exposed to, ensuring they understand the consequences of violence in the real world even though most movies portray them as heroes.
Stronger laws and policies: I believe if the government enforces stricter laws against violent crimes, it'll help stop people from delving into it, and when justice is served immediately, it will deter others from wanting to commit crimes that will make them suffer the same fate.
Overall, we all agree that we can't ignore violence because it's taking a toll on all aspects of life. There are several causes , but what matters most is taking proactive actions as individuals and people to significantly reduce it. We should promote acts of kindness and peace and make sure our actions and words don't fuel violence so our world can be a safe haven for everyone.
All photos are taken and edited on canva.