Cause

What makes people think they can take what they do not own, that they can use without permission, abuse without consent, steal without a word, without a warning?

This mentality surrounds me. I see it in simple things. A seat on the bus. A worthless possession. But it has expanded beyond these meaningless trifles, these acts of selfishness that bring nothing more than frustration.

A life. Many lives. Snatched away before their times. Innocence lost, stolen by those less innocent. No permission. No consent given. Stolen by actions compelled by a mindset that says, "I am all that matters."

The degradation of life fills this world. The depreciation of life. The desensitization of our minds. The things we tell ourselves to justify the actions of others and ourselves. A life lost because she didn't want a child is not a life.

This is depreciation: not understanding the worth of life. And thereby degrading it. Without appreciation for another's life, how can you truly appreciate your own? If you devalue life by taking it, what does this say about your own life?

It does not always relate to me. But I see it in the world around me. Is that not enough? The cause may not affect me, but the effect causes me to react.