Last spring, the halls of my high school became a littlequieter and a little emptier - all because a student threatened to shoot up ourschool.

The fact that a human being, let alone someone who attends myschool, would actually threaten to kill another person is disturbing andoffensive. For some students, ours is more than just your average high school. Itis supposed to be a sanctuary of pride, honor, and most important, safety. Theperson behind this threat single-handedly shattered the safe haven of everyclassroom and hallway once deemed safe for the youth of not only my district, butAmerica. Students should feel safe when riding a bus to school, safe when walkingdown the street, and safe when walking down a hallway crowded with their peersand faculty. But they don't.

Schools are no longer institutions oflearning, or even a place to hang out with friends. They have become a placedreaded by teenagers and teachers alike.

And why? Because people have losttheir respect for other human beings. Our world pushes these people to theirlimits through unnecessary teasing and ridicule that can easily be taken toheart. Society, not just teenagers, sees different races as aliens instead ofseeing them as simply different shades of brown. Society, not just children, isoblivious to and ignorant of cultures that surround them every day. Society as awhole discriminates against every person who is slightly different because it istaught to every generation.

Until people are educated and mature enough toaccept others as fellow people who share this planet, we will have people whodiscriminate. We will have those who are offended. We will have those whothreathen. We will have mayhem.