…Violence is never the answer

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It all began when I was a mere 4th grader, still a young blossom in the great tree of life. A rambunctious one I was, for my heart beat like the rapid pecking of a woodpecker on an oak tree in the eve of spring. I was still very young; I acted purely off of my emotions and ambitions. It was as if I was a dog. I saw things, yet I could not grasp the full effect of everything because I could not see the color within.

My story begins one a typical summer day in school. Recess had just started and everyone flocked to the field like a herd of thirsty cattle in search of water. The two teams were made, as each player intensely stared at one another as if this was a bitter rivalry, yet it was only recess. Though the teachers saw a bunch of little kids running around on a field, we all knew this was something more. This simple game of soccer would actually decide who was cooler and more talented among the school kids. This childish war had just begun and ambitious 4th graders ran to and fro attempting to defeat the other team. Nearing the end of the game, my best friend Jaylan had the ball and was about to shoot it. Suddenly, a devious boy named Hayden tripped him and he fell onto his face. I was infuriated. If anyone would have a childhood enemy of a sort, mine was Hayden. He played the most dirty out of everyone on the field. He would trip, shove, and hit people, but no one would ever do it to him. Simply put, he was not exactly the most likable of all people. Letting my emotions get hold of me, I ran up to Hayden and shoved him for hurting my best friend. In a blur of events, a fight broke out. I gasped in pain as a punch landed straight into my stomach. In retaliation, I punched him in the jaw and he fell over.

Before anymore damage could be done, the fight was broken up by my teacher. We both knew that we were in some major trouble as soon as we walked into the principal’s office. Hayden and I were scolded and told how violence is never the right answer.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” Though it might have seemed that I would get Hayden back for hurting my best friend, the good was only temporary. I ended up in a fight and was sent to the principal’s office. If there was one thing I learned from this experience, it was that violence is never the answer.