The Shadow Hanging Over Us | Teen Ink

The Shadow Hanging Over Us

December 7, 2018
By TheQuietLoser13 BRONZE, El Paso, Texas
TheQuietLoser13 BRONZE, El Paso, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You're not alone so don't ever think you are."


We all live on the planet, Earth. Over the years that homo sapiens have lived on here, we have made many changes. Some were good, others bad. History is written so we don't repeat our mistakes. The thing about our mistakes is that even though we don't see it sometimes, history is being repeated every day.

The world that we have created is so gorgeous yet so terrifying. It's filled with beauty and hatred. Violence is a mental state that leads to physical harm. Violence is a shadow growing on the wall behind you. If you're not careful, it will swallow you in darkness.

The shadow is taking over the world slowly. You don't even know it's getting closer until it's too late. All I am saying is give peace a chance.

When you're a kid like me, you think the universe revolves around you, that you'll always be protected and cared for. Then one day, you realize that's not true.

You wake up suddenly not caring about lives outside your own. Nothing going on outside matters anymore. You separate yourself from anything that might matter to you. Neighbors, friends, even family.

But when you're alone as a kid, the shadow sees you as weaker and it starts to come for you. It attacks you before you can find the truth about what's happening. I guess violence is a part of growing up.

People, young and old, commit crimes for their reasons. Whether it be because of drugs or they're drunk or jealous. Suppose their troubles and problems are an ocean. The causes of violence are tied around the person, making them sink deeper and deeper to their problems.

When you're sinking, you try to grab onto whatever is around you, no matter how ridiculous or dangerous it seems or is. The result won't be good and they'll end up sinking even deeper with what they grabbed on with.

Let me tell you something. Before you grab on, let go. Let go of the weight that is pulling you down. That's how you'll start floating. If you come with people like me, you'll float too. I'm tired of seeing you sink. Time to float.

I am a human who is afraid of what the world has become. I am afraid of what life will throw at me. I have fear in my mind everywhere I go. I have it at school, at home, on the street, at the store, everywhere.

What humankind has done to our home has shown that I, in fact, am not lucky. When I grow up, I'm thinking of never having kids because I'm afraid of the world they're going to live in. When I look outside my window, all I see is an empty street and maybe a vehicle passing once in a while. Meanwhile, when I watch screen adaptations set in the 60s through the 80s, the kids are always playing outside and riding their bikes. That picture no longer exists because of the criminals that have and are existing.

I have a curfew that I don't need. I can't be happy living on this planet anymore. Let's face it, as much as we try to "change the world" that will never happen.

Our nation has been through tragic conflicts such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Great Wars, and 9/11. These attacks made our safety even stronger and more difficult.

Sometimes I wish that we lived in the fantasy world that John Lennon dreamed in his song Imagine. He described it as a world with no heaven, no hell, no countries, nothing to kill or die for, no religion, no possessions, and no need to greed or hunger. "You may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.", he said.

What if I told you, you can be a hero and you don't need a superpower to do it? All you need is your voice and courage. I think I've spent so much time imagining myself in my own perfect world that I forgot I had a voice. But now, I finally found it.

Report if you see any crimes being committed right in front of you. You could be saving your life and someone else's. Sometimes, we all do things without thinking. Someone is out there to help.

We all have problems. I get that but if you're angry, calm down and breathe in and out. You surround yourself by those special people and believe me, you need them. See, you have to understand right from wrong. Bringing innocent people down for your own selfish needs, that is not okay.

We all make mistakes, god do we make mistakes, but we learn from them. We become better because of them. If I have a voice, I want to use it on something I care about. Hopefully, you do too.

Whether you're someone who is struggling in life or you know someone who is, just remember that you are not alone. To those who have experienced the worst from racism, discrimination, bullying, sexual assault, loss of a loved one, suicide, you are loved. If you have mental health, anxiety, depression, a disorder or disease, you are loved as well. For those being hated for their skin color, race, religion, sexuality, looks, or personality, you are loved. Never forget that there are people who care about you.

And if you say that there isn't someone who cares, I do. I might not know your name or what you look like or who you are, but I know you are human. That is why I care you about you.

In the years that we have lived on this planet, we have made it our own. We have made it the way it is. Violence is a subject that you hear about every day. It's something that you can escape if you just look for the people who don't compare to significant others or friends. The people who you'll never lose affection for.


The author's comments:

When my teacher said that we had to write about violence and she said that you don't have a limit to how much you can write, I knew I had a lot to say. I may be only 13 and society tells us to shush, but we too have a voice. We might not be Martin Luther King Jr or Edgar Allen Poe but behind our small bodies, we always have something to say. 


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