As explained in earlier posts, my blog will focus on a lot of things – basically all things I’m passionate about. And because life is not always moonlight and roses and not as fickle as fashion and beauty (though I wish it were) I’ve decided to introduce Thoughtful Thursdays so that I can present and discuss more serious topics I feel just as strongly about. I love writing so I will always try to incorporate poetry or creative writing into a post.
Bullies are cowards. That’s it. There’s no two ways about it. They are insecure, troubled people who portray their shortcomings by making others feel inferior so that they in turn can feel better about themselves. Bullies can take many forms: schoolmates, colleagues, bosses, parents, siblings, other family members and even so-called friends. People of all ages can suffer the abuse, not just school children as is commonly believed. However, the problem is that after years of being bullied the victim then starts to believe that he or she deserves to be treated that way and begins to accept the bullying as a normal way of everyday life. They become so accustomed to the bullying that they truly believe what the bully tells them and it gets imprinted in their minds. The effects of this bullying are usually still evident long after the verbal, emotional and physical abuse has stopped. Some people seek professional help to cope with the after effects and thus are able to overcome it and go on with their lives normally. Others struggle to cope and are haunted by the emotional scars of the bullying so much so that they struggle to function in life. This can lead to serious issues such as depression, anxiety and even suicide.
I’m the first to defend someone suffering from depression or someone who has committed or attempted to commit suicide because people are so quick to judge. You will never understand what someone has gone through if you have not walked in their shoes and experienced it yourself. So keep your judgments to yourself. My heart absolutely breaks when I hear and read about people going through abuse – and believe it or not bullying is abuse – especially children because there is so little they can do to change their situation and they often don’t even know that there is help available for them. Having said that, I feel that too little is being done to prevent and stop bullying in schools. It is not being taken seriously enough by the relevant authorities and is regarded as a normal phases that kids go through. BULLYING IS SERIOUS and should be treated as such. It is just not fair that a human being should be subjected to that kind of trauma inflicted upon them by another human being. There is such a destructive chain reaction that can stem from bullying; poor self esteem – lack of confidence – withdrawal – depression – missed opportunities in life – ultimately suicide. There is also a stigma surrounding the issue and therefore people are reluctant to speak out because they are ashamed of being seen as weak therefore they struggle on by themselves and this leads to the bigger after effects. Bullying is a silent killer, please look out for it and help if you are able to.
xxx GVR6 xxx
