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Heartwings Love Notes 815 - The Climate of Violence Around Us

Heartwings says, "Let peace be the solution and conflict be resolved.

The Olympic Games originated as a way for nations to compete without killing each other in wars. It is inspiring to see the athletes of today carrying on this tradition. Unfortunately, despite peaceful athletic competition, today's youth is growing up in a climate of violence. Most newspapers feature that, rather than focus on what is peaceful. Good news is often buried somewhere within the paper almost like a footnote. What has the acceptance of conflict as perhaps the only way to resolve issues done to young minds and hearts.

Yet it is not only the immediate media we encounter daily that does this, there is also the tenor of our language. We speak of "fighting" bad conditions, disease, and what we dislike in the world. Killing is a casual term for stopping or eliminating: "kill that" article or image. The majority of video games seem to be about fighting and destruction. Comic books and illustrated novels have similar themes. When I was growing up there were curbs on the ugly and the dreadful. There was a comic code whose job it was to protect young children.

Now there seem to be no limits and no safeguards for young minds. When I was young we had bomb drills in our schools, yet the war was far away and no immediate threat. Today children have drills to rehearse for someone coming into the school and shooting them. How can this make them feel? A friend spoke of their child in college as being potentially unsafe in his school. No one ought to have to go through life feeling fearful, yet that is how things seem to be today.

Fear and anxiety separate us from one another. Love and acceptance bring us together. While no one person can make more than a small difference, whatever any of us can do to generate peaceful acceptance of each other's differences and live in cooperation with each other contributes to a happier world. Where conflict resolution is taught in schools, violence greatly diminishes. Let us do what we can to encourage acclimate of peace. Youth no longer bathed in violence will be free to see the world differently and react toward it accordingly.

May you find ways to spread peace and love wherever you are.

PS How do you feel about this climate of violence and what do you think we can do to help? I so love to hear from readers, and thank you for responding. .
 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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