The increase in violence all over the world has been a well known fact for centuries. Because of this, people normalize it, accept it, and pass it by without a second thought. 

This is one of the biggest problems of the modern world; people can create self-driving cars, skyscrapers, and reusable rockets, but no one can stop the hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths every year. 

According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in 2023, there was an average of one gun related death every 11 minutes. Thousands of deaths are happening every year, but we have become desensitized towards these tragedies. Media that used to be disturbing, like the deadly ICE shootings that are happening all over America, are watched by many with momentary frustration, and not much more thought. 

This happens all over the world today, but it also happens right here in Bellevue, Nebraska. In less than a week, from January 12 through the 18, the Bellevue Police logged 226 incident reports, including domestic violence, abuse, and assault. Violence isn’t just a problem that affects only other countries, it’s happening all around us, we just might not notice it.

The terrible state of our world today has caused many of us to view suffering and aggression as acceptable ways to resolve conflicts. This is happening everywhere, even in schools. At the age of six, before children have learned to read and write, they learn how to hide in the darkest corner of a room and fear for their lives in case a shooter comes into the school. This is not okay, but somehow we’ve gotten to the point where destruction and death is turned into something we think of as inevitable, instead of preventable.

If we continue on this trajectory, the consequences will be disastrous. More and more people will continue to die, and the brutality will become a part of our lives even more than it has already. CNN predicts that by the year 2040, there will be 12 million preventable child deaths. These could be anyone; a sibling, a child, a friend, or even you. Many people have already experienced that loss. 

There is no reason for us to accept this as a reality that we can’t change. Why should we let thousands of people die when we can make a difference? It doesn’t matter who you are, you can help solve this crisis. Brutality isn’t normal, it’s not okay, and it’s not inevitable. There are solutions, like gun control, focusing on mental health and physical health earlier, but this is not enough. 

Society has been desensitized towards the tragedies in our world. We need to make a change not just to what we do, but also to the way that we think. Fighting is not an acceptable solution to anything, whether it’s a simple disagreement or war. Peace is a viable alternative and option that we can all strive to choose. Taking the things that we see in the media seriously is very important. The thousands of people that starve to death, the people that are killed in shootings, and those that die because of addiction all died preventable deaths. 

Gun control, by reducing and monitoring the production, sale, and possession of firearms, would help stop tens of thousands of deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Building support housing for people in need, similar to how Finland nearly eradicated homelessness, would help even more families with poverty. We should focus on mental health and helping people recover rather than using incarceration and life sentences. 

In the end, there isn’t just one answer; there are many things that we need to do to better our world. But, we can start with ourselves and work towards more, because each person can make a difference.