THE ANGER EPIDEMIC

Violence rarely begins with a gun. It often begins with words, attitudes and small acts of disrespect that gradually become normal.

- DR. RAFAEL R. CASTILLO

Three teenage students are dead. More than a dozen are wounded. The victims were not soldiers. The shooter was not a criminal. He was a student.

The recent shooting at a high school in Tacloban, Leyte has once again shocked the nation and reopened difficult questions that societies everywhere are struggling to answer. Why does this keep happening? Why does violence seem increasingly common not only in schools but also on roads, in homes, on online platforms, in workplaces, and even in political institutions? And perhaps, most importantly, are we becoming desensitized to it?

THE ROOTS OF VIOLENCE

For many years, discussions about violence focused primarily on access to weapons. While that remains an important issue, it does not fully explain what we are witnessing. A weapon is a tool. The deeper question is what drives someone to use it.

The roots of violence are complex. Mental illness may play a role in some cases. Social isolation, family dysfunction, substance abuse, unresolved trauma and economic stress can all contribute. Extremist ideologies and online radicalization may also influence vulnerable individuals.

But beneath these factors lies a broader cultural concern.

We appear to be living through an era in which anger is increasingly normalized. Everywhere we look, examples abound: road rage incidents that escalate into assaults; online disagreements that quickly become personal attacks; political debates characterized more by insults than dialogue; public officials exchanging accusations and ridicule; and television programs and social media platforms rewarding outrage because outrage attracts attention.

The message being transmitted, intentionally or not, is that aggression is acceptable, that humiliation is entertainment, and that winning matters more than understanding.

IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS