Life is Short – Stop Killing

There’s a disturbing number of people who still believe that a deity — one that lives only in their imagination — somehow gives the green light to death. That idea isn’t just wrong, it’s dangerous.

For the sake of us, for humanity — not for some god — just stop the violence. Now. We don’t need divine permission; we need basic decency.

Violence isn’t a fringe problem. Around 1.25 million people die globally each year from violence-related injuries. Living in a violent society doesn’t just cost lives — it shreds the predictability of someone’s future. In the worst places, people’s life expectancy can be up to 14 years shorter than in more peaceful countries.

But here’s the hopeful bit: Violence can be prevented. Investment in community programs, conflict mediation, and early intervention works. When we stop hurting each other, we don’t just save lives — we build healthier, more resilient communities.

Morality doesn’t have to come from religion. There’s a strong case for secular ethics rooted in human reason, empathy, and shared value. We don’t need commandments from a sky god — we just need to recognise that other people’s lives matter as much as ours.

So here it is, simple and true: life is wildly fragile and brutally short. Don’t screw it up by choosing violence. Cherish what you’ve got. Live it. Share it. #LiveForTheNow

References

1. World Health Organization. Injuries and violence: the facts 2014. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/injuries-and-violence
2. University of Oxford. Life in a violent country can be years shorter and much less predictable. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-02-03-life-violent-country-can-be-years-shorter-and-much-less-predictable-even-those-not
3. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Violence prevention: The evidence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK190007/
4. Wikipedia. Secular humanism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism

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PostScript: (15 November 2025)

The featured image for this post was created with WordPress AI using this prompt:

“Create a powerful and thought-provoking featured image for a blog post titled “Life is Short – Stop Killing.” Include a crowd of people holding placards in the air that read “STOP VIOLENCE NOW”, “VIOLENCE COSTS LIVES”, “MORALITY ISN’T RELIGION”, “FUCK EGO; USE EMPATHY”, “CHERISH LIFE”, “LIVE FOR THE NOW”, “SECULAR HUMANISM”. Ensure they are spelled correctly.”

Yet the AI couldn’t spell anything correctly on all three versions created, so I had to edit each image!