Violence can teach valuable lessons

For the last few weeks we have been hearing a lot about what is going on in the Balkans. A few months ago Iraq was the target, a few years ago Iran was the rebel and a few decades ago Korea and Vietnam were enemies.

There are many people in favor of using force by the Unites States and recently NATO in order to resolve the problems around the globe. It has been done in the last few decades all over the world under different names, such as humanity, stabilizing the region, preventing another world war or stopping a lunatic.

Following the news about the tragedy in Colorado, we noticed that President Clinton, in his address to the nation, wondered why the younger generation try to resolve their differences with violence.

He said, "We also have to take this moment once again to hammer home to all the children of America that violence is wrong."

He added, "And parents should take this moment to ask what else they can do to shield our children from violent images and experiences that warp young perceptions and obscure the consequences of violence „ to show our children by the power of our own example how to resolve conflicts peacefully."

We have a suggestion to the leaders of all countries. You can step in the right direction by striving to be exemplary role models for the younger generation. Don't let the younger generation believe that just because they have the power, they can use it in order to solve their problems. Think about the consequences of your actions before sending airplanes bombing or troops attacking another country just to prove a point that you won't tolerate their actions. Let's sit down and continue to have a dialogue, no matter how long and how frustrating it may be.

Reza Tavakoli
Ali Mehrabian
Civil engineering and engineering mechanics
graduate students