Cheryl Barnes, age 10, of Lansing, Mich., for her question:

Why do people have to kill each other?

Actually there is no perfect answer to this deep question. But it is right for a young person to wonder about such thing,  as why people kill each other. It proves that he or she will grow up to be a wise and thoughtful adult. Each time you think about this question, you will understand a little bit more about why people kill each other. Step by step you will make up your own mind about what you, personally, think of all acts of violence that people do to each other.

Though you may never find the perfect answer, there are some facts to help you understand it better. For example, ages ago nobody ever asked this question. All the people were sure that they had many good reasons to kill their enemies. But slowly, very slowly, some of them grew up and became more civilized. One by one they decided against killing.

It is still natural for people to disagree. But more and more people know that killing somebody is no way to end a quarrel. Someday everybody will learn how to act peaceably  and the whole world will be civilized.