I often find myself scrolling through social media to find headlines and TikToks of a recent school shooting in the U.S. These horrific events don’t happen once every year, but instead every other week. According to the journalists from K-12, “As of Dec. 20, there were 300 shooting incidents on school grounds so far in 2022, compared to 250 in 2021 and 114 in 2020…” Many lives across the United States have been affected by these school shootings and it’s sad to say that there are more to come. 

The British Medical Journal reports, “...we live in a country where the number one cause of death for children and adolescents is a gunshot wound.” Not cancer which is so far incurable, or car accidents, or hunger, no, guns are the number one cause of death in youth. Schools have adapted to incorporating lockdown drills, practicing in the case of a shooter on campus. Yes, we are provided with a way to be safe in the case of a shooter, but why must we go to school living with the potential threat of being shot there? I believe that we can collectively do something about this issue. In an ideal and possible world, kids could go to school without the fear of being killed on campus. We can achieve this through Confucianism, a heavily practiced Chinese philosophy.

Confucius, born in the state of Lu to an aristocratic family, was the founder of Confucianism. Confucius believed that he knew how to fix China’s disorder through politics, but was unsuccessful. So, instead, he became a teacher who gave lectures on how he thought humanity should live. All his teachings were later collected to form the Analects. Filial piety, the practice of ren, relationships, and the five constant virtues of benevolence, righteousness, integrity, ritual propriety, and wisdom were the major beliefs of Confucianism. Although this philosophy was prevalent many years ago, it could be helpful today in preventing school shootings and violence in general.

A passage from the Analects states, “‘A resolute scholar and a man of humanity will never seek to live at the expense of injuring humanity. He would rather sacrifice his life in order to realize humanity.’” I have seen so many great people follow this saying, but at the same time, there are people whose actions have consequences that are often fatal. If everyone tried to exemplify a man of humanity, I believe that violence itself would not be a problem. 

Another principal Confucianists value that would help prevent violence in schools is the importance of relationships. Confucius stated, “Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of humanity.” He taught that if people honored their roles in relationships we could form a functional and harmonious society. There were five key relationships in Confucianism: ruler to subject, parent to child, husband to wife, older brother to younger brother, and friend to friend. The ruler, parent, husband, and older brother were deemed as superior and the others, inferior. Despite their statuses, they both played vital roles in maintaining balance. In order to have a functioning relationship, the superiors were to set a good example and lead with respect for others. Meanwhile, the inferiors were to be obedient as a follower. Confucius believed that if people were able to maintain a healthy relationship within their home, they would be able to keep a strong relationships with the rest of society as well. 

I believe that these relationships aren’t as valued as they should be. It’s unfortunate to see kids growing up with poor examples, leading to their bad actions. Surprisingly, the majority of school shootings have been done by people in their late teens and early twenties. I think that connection, love, and care from parents and guardians could lead everyone to a non-violent lifestyle.  

School shootings are a very serious issue throughout the United States, but there are ways we can prevent them. The help of Confucianism would lead the US into a more connected and humane society. Harvesting good relationships and trying to be compassionate would allow kids to go to school free from a firearm threat. This problem cannot be solved overnight, but I know that if we all do our part, we could change this problem and make this world a better place.