According to the World Health Organization, worldwide, around 190,000 people aged 15 to 29 are murdered every year. A study showed that in around 40 developing countries, an average of 42% of boys and 37% of girls have been exposed to bullying in their schools and at home. Violence. You see it almost everywhere you go. At home, you might hear about it. Outside in your own city, it happens nearly every day, just about everywhere. Why does violence come so easily, and what can we do about it?
Since the beginning of humanity, violence has been a key part of society. From cave paintings depicting people being shot at with arrows, to the countless conquests from ancient empires like the Crusades, violence is nothing new to us. Much of what our country and other countries are built upon is violence. Without violence, America never would’ve gained its independence from the British. No matter how we look at it, violence is one of the many key foundations of what humanity is, and it impacts a lot of what we see day to day.
In the last 100 years alone, we’ve had more than 50 wars and countless armed conflicts all across the world. The death count of all of them in total goes up into the millions. Each person involved in these conflicts had their own story, experiences, friends, family, but because of the wars, they lost all of that in a split second. Now imagine yourself in that situation. Death is only one of the many consequences of war, among the destruction of countries, separation of families, starvation, pretty much about it all. However, many countries like the USA, and other humanitarian organizations such as the UN are still trying to contribute in helping.
The FBI reports that in 2024 alone there were 14 million criminal offences committed in the USA, many of them with violent intent.
If you’ve read or know anything about the constitution, you know it says that we as human beings are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As of recent, this hasn’t been the case. Just recently, on September 10th, a far right debater named Charlie Kirk got shot in the neck and died due to the injury. Violence just contradicts the constitution. Do you think he got the opportunity to chase life, liberty, and happiness? In the modern world, you would think humanity would know better to result in such barbaric atrocities, but looking at the assassination of Kirk, this is far from the truth. In light of his murder and many other violent situations such as the genocide in Gaza, many individuals have become aware of these acts, and push for violence as a whole to end.
Here in Worcester, things aren’t any different. In 2024 alone, there were 16 homicides. The highest number of homicides the city has had in 4 decades. Many of which were committed using guns, and involved people 18 and younger. This year luckily, according to the Worcester Police Department, there have only been two homicides this year, and most of the crimes are down in rates. Stabbings are the only crime that went up in percentages, however it’s still less frequent in the 5 year average of stabbing. The lack of violence in the city allows for positive growth for everyone. People won’t have to worry about getting caught up in violent incidents considering how low crime rates have been and with the increased activity of police patrols.
In high schools, like us at North High School, it’s not hard to say that we experience violence as well. From 2020 to 2024, the FBI has reported 1,504,000 offenses, 150,390,000 victims, and 1,250,000 offenders all across the USA. You yourselves could be one of the victims of one of these crimes. Worcester Public Schools reports that in 2024 and 2025, there were nearly 100 cases of bullying, about 400 cases of verbal abuse, and about 800 cases of physical assault on staff and students in our district alone. Luckily, as a result of these incidents, Worcester Public Schools and many other school administrations have been actively training their staff more to ensure their student’s safety during events such as fights, or worse.
So what can you do? The answer is simple. Be kind. It doesn’t cost anything. All throughout history, while violence may have been a big part of most of society’s problems and developments, kindness has been a huge motivator as well. Using kindness, we can break away from the violence driven world we live in. Multiple studies done by colleges and other organizations have gone to prove that kindness and empathy can do a lot. In your personal experience, you’ve probably been or experienced kindness, and from that experience, you would know that a small bit of kindness can go a long way.
To be kind, you should know what it really means. According to the Oxford dictionary, to be kind means to show or have a friendly, generous, and considerate attitude or mood. To be kind, you can do a lot. Kindness can really be a lot. If you give a person on the side of the road a compliment, that would be kindness. If you go volunteer at a homeless shelter and help cook stew for people, that would be kind. Maybe if you’re feeling a bit more courageous, you could donate a bit of money to a humanitarian company for children in a war. That would be kindness. It might not seem like much, but these seemingly small acts really do a lot. It shows that you care, and a lot of people, that means a lot. Kindness can vary from big to small, but at the end of the day, it’s still kindness.
While the world has a lot of violence in it, from small fights to war, there’s no doubt that the world is definitely violent. All across the globe here in Worcester, we have to face it. Many people such as children and adults have to face the side effects of violence, and no one should have to go through that. Kindness is the free solution to it all. In some way or another, people get kindness, and it can do a lot. Just one small action can be the difference between life and death for some people. A lot of violence in this world is from a lack of empathy and kindness, so start giving it to people. Sometimes it can make all the difference in the world, and maybe even change the way it works.
