There will always be an outcome of anything a human does; whether it be good or bad, there will always be something that comes out of the action performed. In my years of being alive, there has been many incidents that have shaped the way I live. The ones I think of that had the biggest impact have been acts of violence.

Growing up, what I was allowed to do was all based on my parents’ philosophy: the older you get, the more you can do. Yet, there is always a thought of ‘what if something bad happens?’ Almost every parent has this thought, and how could they not?

There’s always some trouble when convincing your parent or guardian to let you go out and do things, especially when it’s later in the evening. From personal experience, going out to a movie that starts around 10 always gets my mom a little worried. The thought of me being out past curfew runs through my mother’s mind, as well as the fact that acts of violence have occured in movie theaters, like in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 for a premiere of Dark Knight Rises. There has been instances where I felt unsafe at a movie theater because it was late, or I had an eerie feeling. This uneasiness is only due to the awareness that violence has occured at random in theaters, and it could happen at any given moment.

Another thing that inhibits younger lives is the fear of sex trafficking or assault. I am constantly told to be aware of my surroundings. I am aware of what goes on in the world, and I hate that my life revolves around whether I could be gone in a blink of an eye if I don’t know where or who I am with. The people who prey on young adults are the reason parents are concerned; they are always out there, just not every single one of them is seen.

These things are intimidating and have huge effects on how we live out our daily lives. The actions of others always have consequences on themselves and everyone else. The way we can pursue our lives is totally up to you, yet we shouldn’t have to live in fear of what is to come. We should continue to live our lives how we want and just take a step forward one day at a time.