Rupa Devi Soondar
St. Joseph's Convent San Fernando
'Bullying', an eight letter word that summarises the emotional, physical and mental turmoil inflicted upon some of us. People are bullied because we are different in some way or another and that may not be pleasing to some. However, I believe that there is ABSOLUTELY NO justification for bullying. If you are stressed, experiencing problems at home or simply do not like someone, that is NOT a legitimate reason to bully others.Let's be honest, we have all, at some point, been bullied and some people have, whether they choose to accept it or not, done the bullying. Some of us are lucky enough to rarely encounter the creatures we call bullies, whilst the rest of us are not so fortunate, in that we face them almost every day. For the latter group, it stems from having peers ignore you, having them make fun of your height, size, skin colour, the number of parties you don't attend, your grades, what brand of clothes you wear and the list goes on and on!
Sometimes, I am left to wonder if bullies properly recognise the level of emotional and mental stress that is inflicted upon their victims. One extreme of this unacceptable type of behaviour is suicide. Other supposedly subtle means by which victims resort to include: neglecting their studies, staying away from school to avoid confrontation, cutting themselves, and as the saying goes "if you can't beat them, join them" which only leads to the epidemic of this unacceptable behaviour. According to statistics reported by ABC News, 160 000 children stay home from school every day because of the fear of bullying. For all the bullies out there who are not aware of their prey's plight, here are some of the responses I got after asking random students what it feels like to be bullied:
• "I literally want to burst into tears no matter where I am when it happens."
(Student who was embarrassed in front of her classmates).
• "I wish I could just disappear off of the face of the earth. I never want to see these people again!"(Girl who had terrible rumours spread about her by a bully)
• "When I get older, I'll make them pay, for now, I'll just endure it." (Girl who was physically shoved out of the way numerous times).
It is my hope that this article would touch the heart of at least one bully and persuade him/her to mend his/her ways. I pray night and day that the victims of these acts do not take matters into their own hands and act rashly. Please, find a friend and tell him/her or better yet, tell an adult! It is not okay to be bullied under any circumstances. Trust me, I can guarantee you that you are NOT alone.
