As an advocate of peace & equality for all human beings, locally and internationally, I find it very hard to live in this society of war and violence that we are living in today. You cannot turn on the news, a show, or even a video game, without being subjected to the gory, disheartening acts of violence that we as a culture, are obsessed with. Violence is a hard thing to eradicate, but maybe if we stop glorifying the acts of violence & war, we might one day be able to live in a world of relative peace.
Since the creation of the United States of America in 1776, my country has been in 12 major wars, with the Afghanistan War being the longest, surpassing 10 years. For my whole adult life, starting at the age of 17, all I have known is a country at war, all starting with that fateful day on September 11th. Living in a country where perpetual war is the norm, it is hard to escape the sad and disturbing details of violence, casualties & destruction. Seeing the images on the news and hearing the stories coming over the radio and social media makes me sick to my stomach on a daily basis. Why then, with a country that seems like it is always at war, is our society so obsessed with the culture of violence? Shouldn’t we be obsessed with trying to rid it from our lives?!
I use video games as a means to relax, unwind, and disconnect from the violence filled world that is my reality. What I cannot understand though, is why most of the new games that are coming out in stores are full of crude, violent images & actions? There are literally shelves & shelves of video games geared towards violence. “Call of Duty” and “Gears of War” are just a few, with “Sleeping Dogs” being the newest filth ridden game. Amongst the rows & rows of violent games, there are only a handful of games that are violence free, and most of them are geared towards kids. Let’s just say I am obsessed with ‘The Undergarden” & “Family Game Night“. On top of the violent images brought to us by video games, the violence in these games can actually mess with the neurological functions in your brain, including making you more violent with a slower response time. You could turn off your game console and maybe turn on the television, avoiding the news of course, to find an autobiography or show that isn’t so violent, to try to break the cycle of war and unsavory images.
Good luck with that. Just try to find a show on TV that isn’t filled with violence & disgust. I have a huge problem with television already, but this has pushed me to the point of boycotting it all together. Look through your TV guide and you will see shows like “Deadly Men”, “Who the $&@? Did I Marry?” and “I Survived”, all highlighting stories of death, rape, murder and violence. There is even a show coming out that highlights the life of a serial killer. In contrast though, there is only one to two television shows that are being aired that are geared towards peace and a stronger unity as human beings and it is on a Saturday morning, the worst time slot in the world. With violence and war dominating the air waves with television shows, the news, and even a whole network dedicated to war, it seems utterly impossible to get away from it all.
I am not sure how we can turn our war obsessed culture into a culture of peace and respect for all living things. Our society revolves around war and violence so much that is consumes our daily lives through the use of the news, television programs and even video games. The commercialization of violence and war is so prevalent in our society, I don’t think it will ever go away. We should realize, as human beings, that hate creates more hate and that hate turns into violence. We should learn from the violence and spread peace in its place. Learn from the past to create a new future. Pick up a book and forget the violence. Become enlightened and you, and eventually the world, will find peace.
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