This one’s for the women. And this song is fitting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOXFfgvtH7E For what it’s worth, I’m absolutely sick and tired of seeing news articles about young girls killing themselves as a result of being bullied. Or cyber-bullied. Or raped. I know that the problem exists among all races, ethnicities, and genders, but I can only get upset about the ones I know about. Since the media reports on the loss of life of adorable, young white girls, those are the ones that catch my attention. Any loss of life is tragic, and it’s why I have dedicated myself to being a Firefighter/EMT, why I’ll one day become a paramedic, and why I take such a strong interest in crisis counseling. If you didn’t know, a teenager in Halifax committed suicide after being raped while a cohort took photos of the rape and then posted them online. The accessory to the crime was only convicted of an individual charge of child pornography and released with no jail time. http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/no-jail-time-for-teen-who-took-photo-that-led-a-rape-victim In Kansas this past weekend, two girls committed suicide within 48 hours of each other. These were friends. They were teammates. They were both aspiring young women that had nothing but promise in front of them. One kills herself at her house, then 48 hours later, one steps in front of a train. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kansas-high-school-friends-commit-suicide-48-hours-article-1.2006543 It’s plain, and it’s simple. News articles like these should not exist. The stories of these three young victims breaks my heart, and I wish I could have been there in some way to help them with their struggles in life. Alas, it’s not my problem to fix everyone in the world. It’s not yours, either. It’s not your brother or sister or aunt or uncle or God, Allah, Yahweh, or whatever higher power you may believe in. So who gets the burden of that responsibility? Who has to take on the responsibility to make sure that we aren’t stuck in reverse during this process we call evolution. It’s easy to say that it’s the responsibility of the parents. Parents need to step up and take an active interest in the lives of their children. But there is also an old saying that applies here; perhaps you may have heard it before. It takes a village to raise an idiot. I’m not calling anyone an idiot, by any means. What this old adage means to me is that, even if all of the possible resources that are available work together to raise the child, they will still never reach their maximum potential in life because that requires something that can’t be taught. For that to happen, it requires personal motivation, curiosity, and a sense of discovery. Those aren’t traits that can be taught; they are demonstrated and then instilled into aspiring minds. You have to spend time with your friends, family, and loved ones in order for them to see where they come from and figure out who they want to be. Simply put, kids need to stop dying for no reason other than the society in which they live sucks. Please everyone, take time to live life outside of your smart phones, tablets, computers, and other electronic devices. Take time to connect with people and take an interest in each other. I can’t fix this problem and neither can you, but together, we ALL can.