Dying To Fight

This morning as I drove back from taking my ten-year-old nephew to school, something unmistakably caught my attention. Granted it was earlier than when I’m used to being up and around, but what I heard stopped me in my mid-thinking tracks.

In Fort Worth, a teenager died from fighting during school. On Friday, apparently the 15-year-old and his 16-year-old fighting opponent left between classes and went directly across from the school to hash out their differences.

Due to the teenager having breathing problems or possible cardiac arrest, the paramedics were called. They took the student to an area hospital, where he died according to dallasmorningnews.com.

The police are still working on the exact cause of death.

How does this happen? How does a student leave for school and not make it home. Yes, it possibly could have been his heart, but other deadly fighting cases exist too. For instance a 13-year-old died after getting hit in the head during a fight, according to freelibrary.com. Another 16-year-old passed away from being beaten to death, according to chicagobreakingnews.com.

It happens all over the country, but what brings fighting to this level? I’m not a guy, so I don’t know what it’s like to fight or want to fight, but what is society teaching boys? Kids need to stand up for themselves, but not at the risk of killing someone else. That is something that can never be taken back. And that is something the kid who survives has to live with for the rest of his life. What kid wants that on his conscience? What kid deserves that?

Does society teach our kids that it’s okay, even acceptable to fight? Think of how popular UFC, Ultimate Fighting, Championship, is. It’s worth over a billion dollars. Kids look up to their heroes and sports players. They want to be like them. Adults may enjoy watching these fights, but do they want their children to incorporate what these fighters do into their young lives?

Is fighting with your fists really the answer? That’s something that every parent teaches their boy in one way or another. How does a child stand up for himself without fighting? No parent wants his child to be on the receiving end of a bully. Maybe instead of fighting, society should focus on how best to get along with other kids. They are probably just as insecure as every other child. Or another option…walk away. It may not show a student’s strength or how “hard core” he can be. He will, however, when he chooses this option have his dignity, the knowledge that he did the right thing, and his conscious that he didn’t brutally hurt someone else. But more importantly, he will have his life. And for that, you will be glad he chose to walk away.