I fear the society that I see around me. People have become very aggressive and misinterpret what freedom truly is. Especially teenagers, who are more reactive. Instead of coming together and forming communities with other teenagers, the behavior has only worsened
A recent event in Athens encapsulates my fear. A 14-year-old girl was walking with her friends in Glyfada, and suddenly, two girls appeared and attacked her. Shockingly, 30 other people watched this incident occur, including other teenagers, who were unwilling to help. They watched the perpetrators beat up the 14-year-old, ripping her clothes and underwear in the street, and punching her. The videos of the attack as well as the audio messages exchanged by the teens before they attacked her are very disturbing because they said that they were going to kill her. Even after the incident, the perpetrators still wished death upon the victim as she was in the hospital.
Why is it that these children take death so lightly? What made them think it was okay to try to take another’s life? Is there something in society that made them believe that a person’s life is not sacrosanct? Every child has the right to feel safe and to grow up in an environment where they feel loved and cared for. Children are influenced by what they see around them, such as games, school, movies, parents, and even incidents on the street involving strangers. All of these factors affect how children perceive the world. Society as a whole must strive to teach children how to solve their problems properly, without being aggressive and violent. The incident in Glyfada displays how the hatred of two people can grow into the hatred of 30 people if no one intervenes. This further demonstrates that it must be every person’s duty to positively influence the people around them instead of being a bystander, to prevent violence like this from occurring.
The society I dream of is one defined by kindness and empathy, where there is mutual respect between people. Children and teenagers should support each other, and value each other’s future while trying to build a beautiful one together.
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