We need to address anger in our society

I am raising this issue after a very concerned community member mentioned anger as an issue that we need to start addressing as a society. We have to engage on what can be done to stop the violence that has increased tremendously, especially among the youth. Young people are killing each other for senseless reasons and, it seems, they have adopted violence as a way of life. It seems as if the society has been angered and we live around very angry young people who may erupt at any point. There have been many incidents that have occurred in which young men have demonstrated outrageous behaviour and many have fallen victim to this anger issue. There needs to be an intervention from leaders and community members because this kind of evil must have a root. We need to get to the root of this anger because, the truth is, people are dying out there. Many are innocent, especially as domestic violence continues in many homes throughout the country. A line has to be drawn and someone must stand up and say enough is

enough – it is not okay. I usually blame alcohol as a catalyst for violent behaviour, as well as the violent content in the media that young people are constantly bombarded with. It is no wonder that the youth behaves in such a manner – they are imitating, either consciously or subconsciously, what they see. Anger is constantly being instilled in our heads without us even realising it. That is why parents have to be careful of the kind of programmes they allow their children to be exposed to. If we fail to take action, many parents will lose their children. Not even schools are safe for children anymore. In my opinion, young people are angry because they are confused and do not know themselves. They then take out their anger on others, first in the form of bullying, then violence. Everything boils down to the fact that people are generally unhappy because of their circumstances and many other issues affecting the country. Anger brews from unhappiness and, over time, leads to violence. The issue of self-hatred also adds to this violence. Xenophobic attacks result from not identifying with others of the same colour or race. Racism has also resurfaced but, thankfully, seems to be slowly diminishing. We need to be able to sit down and talk about these things and ways of eradicating such issues. Let us put or weapons down and reassess ourselves to find the cause of our anger. Let’s find new ways of solving our problems and put an end to the violence terrifying our communities.