Charlie Kirk, the Conservative Christian activist, was murdered a month ago. His death has led to immense controversy, notably the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel due to remarks he made on air regarding Trump’s comments about Kirk.

Numerous users on social media have commented that Kirk’s death was deserved. But the bottom line is, no one should die for their beliefs, whether political, social, or moral. I don’t agree with Kirk’s opinions, but saying his death was deserved is not only wrong but hypocritical. You cannot care about a life just because you agree with them on a moral standpoint. And it would be feeding into his ideology.

On the same day Kirk was shot, a school shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado occurred. Two students were hospitalized, and the shooter died. Kirk’s death has overshadowed numerous other tragedies across America and the world. Politicians and followers mourning him are ignoring the thousands of people being killed by starvation in Gaza, targeted human rights violations in Congo, and disease in Sudan. It’s not right to treat Kirk’s death as more significant because he’s a contentious public figure or supports your beliefs. The outrage over Kirk’s death should be directed toward murders around the globe.

The differing responses to Kirk’s death from political parties reveal a greater problem in our society: desensitization to death. Why must a life only be meaningful if the person has power, privilege, or follows what you follow? We have stopped caring about fatalities that don’t directly affect us and people we don’t align with morally, politically, or socially. Even if you don’t agree with Kirk, acknowledge that his death was wrong and empathize with his family, who had to watch him die.

We need to advocate for a society where, despite political disputes, violence is never acceptable. As humans, we are naturally inclined to feel empathy: newborns show distress when others cry, people donate to charities, and instinctively we want to comfort grieving loved ones. But clearly, we have forgotten what this feels like.

Everyone should have respect and recognition as a human being with a unique and distinct identity, just as complex and nuanced as your own.

Empathy is not as Kirk defined it on his talk show in 2022: “a made-up, new-age term that does a lot of damage.” It is a virtue that lets people learn about, care for, and protect others. Empathy shapes and saves the world we live in. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk, and rest in peace, the thousands who are victims of political warfare and gun violence in the world today. May your deaths instigate change.