When Did Human Life Become So Easy to Lose?

Every day brings another name in the news. We cannot let it become normal.

For the families left behind, the space is never filled. Photo by Ann on Unsplash

Sometimes I wonder when we get so used to hearing about death that it no longer stops us in our tracks.

Every morning there is more news: another shooting, another child killed, another family broken. We read the story, feel sad for a moment, maybe share it online, and then carry on with our day. Before long, a new tragedy takes its place.

I can’t help asking myself: have we become so used to losing people that we are slowly forgetting what a human life is worth?

The recent death of Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy who was shot in the Bronx, has stayed on my mind. He was just a boy. He should have been worrying about school, making memories with his friends, and looking forward to his future. Instead, his life ended in a way no parent should ever have to live through.

His story has touched many people, but there are so many others whose names we may never know. Children, parents, brothers, sisters, and friends have lost their lives to violence, and some of their stories never make the news at all.

I think about the families left behind: a mother who will never hear her child’s voice again, a father who has to walk past an empty bedroom, and a brother or…