Murder Is Never Worth It

Murder. As defined by the English dictionary, murder is to kill or slaughter inhumanely or barbarously. Murder not only takes away the future of the victim but it also permanently ruins the functionality of that person’s family. They are left with a lifetime of grief and sadness due to and act of hate, revenge, or rashness. No family should have to pay that price just because the killer was wronged. How would you feel if one minute your family was perfect and healthy and then the next minute, that was all torn to shreds and broken apart? After a murder is committed, there is a body left behind. To the world, that body is merely a body. The person no longer exists, so they have lost their value. To the family of that victim, that person meant the world. This “body” was a cousin, a parent, a sibling, or an aunt or uncle. That family will be left to go through Christmases, Easters, birthdays, graduations, and countless other holidays without the love of their lost family member. They will be devastated and in many cases become depressed due to the loss they have suffered. Is this worth it? Is this what an ideal life sounds like? The answer is no. It is not the killer’s choice whether the victim lives or dies. Murder is never worth it. Murder is never an appropriate response. In no society is murder ever justified.
Even if it is in and act of revenge or to gain retribution for a wrongdoing, murder is never acceptable.
In the popular Greek tragedy Medea, by Euripides, the main character (Medea) kills her own children. This was all an attempt to get back at her ex- husband Jason who cheated on her. However, it is found in later text that Medea admits she will also share in the pain that she caused (Lines 1360-1365). Medea’s act was one of revenge. It led to and ending full of sadness and despair. She continues to blame her actions on Jason (Lines 1365- 1370). Her acts were based solely on revenge and they cannot be
legitimized. The punishment for murder is the death penalty. If a person commits a crime, they are forced to pay for their actions. In the eyes of many, the death penalty is considered cruel. These people believe that the murderers should be sentenced to life in prison. It is my belief that by allowing these criminals to live, our government would be allowing murder to perpetuate. Citizens would be under the impression that murder is accepted in society. With the promise of life instead of the threat of death, the killers believe that the sentence is worth it. On some occasion, those people who killed were let out of prison on probation. These are murderers who killed in cold blood being allowed to walk the streets probably in search of their next next victim. In their mind, they would just be forced to go back to jail. No big deal. The death penalty is the only way to instill fear of punishment in future killers, prevent these murders, lower the overall crime rate, and rid the world of the dangerous people once and for all. My point in all of this is that murder is not ever, in any circumstance, and appropriate response. It is not up to any of us to decide that a person must die for no reason. Murder only brings pain to everyone who is involved. Whether it is the family of the victim, the inevitability of the death penalty for the killer, or the victim himself, everyone suffers. Our world could be so much more peaceful if we could only get rid of all the murder. It promises danger and sadness wherever it goes. So, what will you do to stop this horrible crime? Will you stand down? Or will you fight for what is right and just for not only us today but our posterity?