There is No Positive in Bullying

After reading Carl Fisches blog “It Gets Better” and watching the YouTube video on the blog I was reminded of how real and present bullying is. The actual blog was brief but still left a lasting impression on me. Mr. Fisch got straight to the point in this blog; he was very clear about his beliefs on the matter of bullying. In the blog he says “Bullying is not ok. Hate is not ok. Neither is standing by and letting it happen.” I strongly agree with him on this subject. Putting a person down because they are different from you is just plain wrong. The phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is inaccurate, quite frankly words do hurt. Suggesting otherwise would be to assume the victim of the bullying has a strong self esteem. If a person is subject to bullying odds are they do not have a strong self esteem so therefore there is no reasoning behind the phrase.

                Bullying is a serious topic; children have lost their lives because of it. Even though adults make it clear that bullying is wrong it still painfully present in schools. What I am curious about is what would drive a bully to bully a kid so much to the point where the victim is suicidal? Wouldn’t the guilt be unbearable? I mean knowing that you have ruined a kid’s entire day, or even just knowing that what you said or did would affect that person the rest of their life. I haven’t been severely affected by bullying but I have seen the effect that it has had on my peers. Personally I think hurting someone with words is the worst way to cause damage to a person. Bruises will heal relatively quickly but a person self esteem takes years to heal. Some of my friends have unfortunately been subject to bullying and I have seen what a low confidence level can do a person. A low confidences end result on a said individual is always negative. Conclusively, Mr. Fisches blog reminded me of the reality of bullying and the fact that it is everywhere, not just my school.  

A Risk We Take

The article “Denver woman shot after argument in convenience store” by Kieran Nicholson caused me to revaluate my life and come to the realization of the dangers that are out there.  The article is brief and gives the basics of the situation at hand. It explains that the incident occurred at around 11:15 pm and that the victim was shot in the leg. The victim was shot after leaving the store while she was in her car with her child; thankfully the child was not injured. In the reading the piece of information that surprised me most was the fact that this atrocity occurred near a convince store. This poses the question how does this affect me? I visit convince stores often, and I am sure that everyone has visited one over the course of their lives as well.

The truth of the matter is that entering one is a risk, a risk of your safety. Convince stores are dangerous not because the purpose they serve in society but because it is open to anyone and everyone, knowing this one could then say that any public place is dangerous. If armed gunmen can shoot an innocent citizen at a convince store then I am certain a person just as dangerous could enter a park and shoot another innocent citizen, who is to say that innocent citizen couldn’t be you?  Knowing the risk present is it worth it to enter public facilities? I believe it is, innocent citizens should not alter their lives just due to the irresponsible decisions made by others. If people were to simply hide in their houses and not enter public places our society as we know it would not progress, it would come to a halt. The people would not be able to get the things they needed to thrive and be successful. It is my opinion that it is better to take a risk and thrive then live in hiding and be miserable, what is the point of being alive if you are not living your life? Conclusively, this article helped me in realizing the risks I take every day, I no longer am blind to the threats that exist in our world.