As a person who has experienced bullying practically the entirety of my life, I know what it is like to be on the receiving end of many jokes and negative words. Some people will be extremely deliberate with what they are doing and continue to come back for more, whether or not they get the reaction they wanted, while others unknowingly do things that hurt someone else. I want to specifically talk about the latter, as I have known many people and have had many friends who just do not know what is okay to say and what isn’t. This also kind of touches on just how you can be a better person in general, because whether or not you agree with someone based on their views, appearance, or whatever else it may be, we are all humans with lives, and we deserve the same respect we give to other people.
In general, I think the best thing to note about a person is their insecurities. While some people aren’t too keen on telling others their sensitivities, it’s good to know as much as you can about a person in order to know what to talk about and what to avoid, such as their living situation, physical or mental struggles/insecurities, past relations with other people, and even major life events. In 2020, I had some life changing events happen to my family and me. After a while, I met some people I thought I could trust, things happened between us, and now suddenly I have people constantly reminding me about the unfortunate events that had transpired. While it is hard to discover the hidden secrets people are burdened with, discovering them with or without that person wanting now makes their burden the both of yours. In short, if someone close to you expects you not to mention something negative that has happened in their lifetime or is constantly affecting them, it seriously cannot be that hard to keep to yourself.
I covered a big chunk of what I had to say in this last paragraph, but another one of the things that I seriously need to address is how people handle others with physical differences. Whether it be ethnicity, a disorder, or just how much they weigh, people are affected daily due to their imperfections. This one here has by far taken the biggest toll on my mental health. The previously mentioned drama, even excluding many events before that, and my imperfect body made me a prime target to many of the other kids at school. Before I got help by a professional and a great group of friends, I was seriously considering suicide. This is common amongst the “bottom tier” of school society, considering there are many bullies practically wherever you are. If this is the case for you or for somebody you know, please seek out help wherever you can, or in case of emergency, the suicide hotline (988) is available 24 hours a day in multiple languages.
In conclusion, bullying has affected me and many people that I know for the worse. It’s really hard to stand up for yourself when you are where I am, so I knew this article needed to be made. We deserve the exact same amount of love as the people who haven’t experienced pain or suffering, or have had imperfections, as we are all human beings. For the bullies who are reading this, just because you don’t understand what someone is going through, or if you don’t understand what they believe in/what they do, then just let them live their life. Especially if you are in school, we are all young here. The most important thing for us to do right now is have the best school experience we can. With all of that said, that is everything I wanted to cover. I hope this article reaches the right audience, and don’t forget to treat others the way you want to be treated.
