Violence

Violence is an outward display of pent-up anger, rage, and

frustration. And a lot of young persons are very angry these days; but so are many adults.

Teenagers, however, are often very impulsive and they're

capable of doing things without thinking of the consequences.

They're also not always good at problem solving and being able

to successfully fix complex social situations. Thus acting out

physically seems much easier than trying to resolve their

problems and settle them peaceably.

Unfortunately, the consequences for doing an act of

violence and committing a crime against someone may haunt a

young man for years to come. He hurts himself as well as his victim.

Nevertheless, teenagers need to be held responsible when

they act out violently. A person who hurts or destroys

another's life must be held accountable. Damaging the lives

and property of others cannot be allowed in a civilized

society. This needs to be emphasized.

Yet adolescents also need to be taught to value life.

Life is something to cherish and respect. I believe it is a gift from God, and it is sacred.

To unleash hurt upon another individual is terrible and abhorrent, and this applies even if the victim had dome something to make the attacker angry.

There are no excuses for committing a crime against someone. Young persons need to learn how to solve their problems--and everyone has problems--without bloodshed.

WHAT IS VIOLENCE?

Violence is selfishness in action. It is an attitude which says, "You hurt me, so now I am going to hurt you,"

Other times it is random and the result of pent-up anger and

aggression. Often violence becomes a lame excuse to scapegoat

someone, to blame another person for your own problems and failures.

Being violent and hurting another person during the act of a crime are not signs of manhood and mataurity. Rather they

are acts of childishness and stupidity.

I've said this before, but I wish that young persons could

see all the men who committed a violent crime and came to

prison when they were adolescents. These guys were sixteen,

seventeen or eighteen years old when they got busted.

Let me tell you---and I have heard the same stories again and again---they got no sympathy from the courts. Instead they

got slammed with long sentences. They've thrown away their

lives when each of them made the decision to do violence.

And perhaps one of the most horrible and unfortunate

things about doing violence and committing crimes is, as far as

you're concerned, after you got caught you realized that you

didn't have to do what you did. You had a choice all along.

Now, however, you must live with the knowledge that you

made the wrong choice. And you will spend many years being

tormented by the reality of this fact. It is an awful feeling.

I know this from experience.

TEENS AND GUNS

Because my heart has been heavy over the recent acts of

senseless violence involving young persons, and because of my

own experiences and mistakes at a time in my life when I was

younger, troubled and vulnerable, I have felt compelled to

write these pages on youth violence.

Guns have of course been a part of the American culture,

and we'd be deceiving ourselves if we said this was not so. I

grew up watching dozens of different war and cowboy movies.

But I do not believe the problem is with guns or any other

weapons that adolescents may get their hands on.

Our main problem is with the human heart. The Bible says that the heart of a man is desperately wicked." (Jeremiah 17:9)

This is not a put-down on God's part. He is, however,

simply revealing a truth. And it is not an easy truth for

anyone to accept that our heart may be bad and filled with sin.

But I believe what the Scripture says. I believe this to be correct.

Jesus Christ said that "Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

(Matthew 4:4). Therefore, man needs God, and our lives are

somehow incomplete without Him.

Many young persons are, unfortunately, so caught up in the

materialism of this world, or in having to impress their peers

by trying to obtain a reputation for themselves, that they

spend much of their lives on what will ultimately prove to be

futile.

They long for respect and go to great lengths to get it, often to their own harm.

And in order to get a reputation and earn respect, sadly,

many young men think they need a gun. They think it's cool to

have one. They they're on better footing if that steel piece is in their pocket.

But this is foolishness and self-deception.

Here are, I believe, some of the reasons why young men carry guns: 1) curiosity, 2) Protection, 3) Self-respect 4) Power, 5) Rebellion.

Some youth are obviously curious about firearms. Others

think that, since the "other dude" may be carrying a gun, he's

going to need one too. Such thinking has led tmany deaths and

teenagers are quick to pull out their pistols in an attempt to shoot first.

Then there is the delusion of self-respect. An insecure youngster thinks that by carrying a gun his peers will fear and

respect him. That they would stay off his path.

Next comes power. Multitudes of teens lack a sense of

identity. They believe no one cares about them. Also, that

they have no control over things or events which happen around

them. Thus having lethal weapon gives one a false and

obviously foolish idea that by packing a pistol he now has power.

Finally there is old fashioned rebellion. Many teenagers

want to snub thier noses at the laws of the land, and I suppose

they think that carrying a gun is one way to do this.

No doubt there are plenty of hard headed adolescents who

are willing to get down and dirty, and who think it's no big

deal to destroy someone's life. But they have no idea, because

they're so impulsive and don't think things through, what

awaits them when they make that move to get violent.

Nevertheless, the bottom line is this: Kids don't need

guns, they need God.

David Berkowitz

April 10, 2005