A few different things have been running through my mind this past week and they kind of go hand in hand with each other.
Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Month in the United States? I didn't know this until last year. Bullying is something that is very real and it happens more often than I think people would like to admit. I think the increase in violence we have seen over the years can in part be blamed on bullying.
I imagine everyone has felt bullied at some point in their life. I can recall several instances over the course of my life where I was bullied. The first time I can remember being bullied was when I was about 6 years old, someone at school called my four eye because of my glasses. During my elementary school years we moved and that was a hard thing. One boy in my class would frequently tell me that I was stupid and to shut up, talk about not fitting in in a new environment. At the end of the school year I was invited to a slumber party with the popular girls. They told me that I looked like a possum that comment really hurt me. I didn't end up staying the night and I found myself a new group of friends. I have been called fat and anorexic. I have even been made fun of because of my religious belief. Bullying doesn't end when you graduate either, it continues on into adulthood.
Being bullied is never fun. It may be fun for the people who are doing the bullying, they claim to be just joking and that it was all just for a laugh. But the damage they afflict on the person on the receiving end of their joke maybe be irreparable.
My second thought is this, we are all unique and we are all different. Instead of tearing each other down like a bucket full of crabs, we need to lift each other up. We need to embrace our differences. Being different is not a bad thing, it is a very good thing. If we were all the same the world would be a pretty boring place.
As we go throughout our days, weeks, and lives, let's make it a goal to not bully each other. Let's stop bullying when we see it happening. It only takes one person to speak up. Let's complement and praise each other for a job well done. Let's make the world a better place.
