Homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, and arson charges in the U.S. have steadily increased over the past few years, according to the FBI. This increase is ignored by mainstream media but should concern us.
While violence has always been present in the U.S., there has been a significant increase of violent acts in the past few years. Since the nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd in May 2020, the Jan. 6, 2021, incident, and the lockdowns related to COVID-19, violence has become an even bigger and more widespread issue.
Is this rise simply a random anomaly, or does it speak of something greater happening in our country and culture? While the exact cause of increased violence is hard to pinpoint, the nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns had a negative impact on the entire nation, worsening the already increasing trend of violence. As a country, we seem to have lost our ability to interact with people, especially during conflict. Being separated from other humans for long periods of time degraded our sense of right and wrong.
We are no longer able to simply disagree with someone and remain their friend. We have lost the ability to have civil conversations. We are entering a phase where any disagreement is taken as a personal attack. Criticism has been painted as being rude and insensitive to other people’s feelings. Society is veering away from friendly and respectful interaction to hateful and inconsiderate speech and actions to others. This is just one more way that shows our culture is not just dealing with a rise in physical violence, but a shift in the very moral character of our nation.
We are also witnessing lawmakers who are also no longer able to deal with conflict unbiasedly. Now more than ever the opinions of individuals in power are making their way into the law that serves to create order. With this infiltration into order, the line between what is right and wrong has become blurred and those in power cannot make definitive decisions on the right course of action.
With so many unknowns, our culture is at a tipping point. As a society, we are allowing violence and anger to be the most effective ways to be heard. Consideration for the other person goes out the window and you are either on their side or you’re not. It will take a strong people to stand against that tide, stand up for what is right, and redirect the culture back to that which is good and true.