I want to share a story of how I felt so guilty of being a bully without knowing that I was doing so, until the student cried out, and told me how she always felt hurt by my actions, then I had to ask for her forgiveness. But with my very innocent face no one would have known that I was a bully I myself did not even know the pain I had caused, which makes me feel bad when I remember it.
Now let us define bullying so that you can understand my story when I tell it.
Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words, or more subtle actions.
To explain further what bullying is I will share a story that shows how we generally see bullying and a common event that often is associated with it.
Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Sarah who had just started a new school. She was shy and quiet, but she was excited to make new friends and start fresh in a new environment. However, things took a turn for the worse when she caught the attention of a group of girls who were known for being bullies.
From the moment Sarah arrived at school, she was targeted by some group of girls. They would make fun of her clothes, her hair, and her quiet demeanor. They would push her in the hallways, spread rumors about her, and even steal her lunch money. Sarah tried to ignore them and stay strong, but their constant harassment began to take a toll on her mental and emotional well-being.
Despite her best efforts to avoid the bullies, they seemed to always find a way to make her life miserable. Sarah felt isolated and alone, unsure of who to turn to for help. She was too afraid to speak up and too ashamed to admit what was happening to her.
One day, things came to a head when the bullies cornered Sarah in the schoolyard and began to taunt her relentlessly. Sarah felt tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to defend herself, but the girls just laughed and continued their cruel behavior. Just when Sarah thought she couldn't take it anymore, a group of students who had witnessed the bullying stepped in to intervene.
The students stood up to the bullies, telling them that their behavior was unacceptable and that they needed to leave Sarah alone. The bullies recoiled in surprise at the unexpected outpouring of support for Sarah, realizing they had been exposed for their cruel behavior.
Sarah discovered a group of real friends that stood by her side and helped her get through her tough moments from that day on. She discovered that there were people who were concerned about her well-being and that she did not have to suffer in silence. The bullies were eventually held accountable for their actions and forced to apologize to Sarah for the pain they had caused.
People should always be reminded by Sarah's story that bullying is never acceptable and that victims are always welcome to receive support. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of kindness and cooperation in stopping bullying and fostering an atmosphere that is secure and encouraging for all.
Now back to my own story because we sometimes always fail to look back into our lives to check if we are guilt of any habit whether good or bad.
I had a classmate who had a small stature, and so everyone in class looked down on her, she used to seat in front of my own desk and I would pass through her to get to my desk, whenever I needed something to be passed to the front or backwards by her, I would just tell her to do it, in fact I will command her to do it, because I was talking to her like she was my junior and not my mate, I didn't know this hurt her because she expected me as a Christian to act better and not like the rest of the students, so when she opened up and confronted me about it, I felt so bad and pleaded with her to forgive me and she did.
Let us understand that bullying happens every day when you don't treat someone with respect and love. It happens between siblings, friends and couples, and if this is not controlled from childhood it can lead to building abusive marriages that later lead to divorce and having children from broken homes.
Let us know if you have experienced bullying and how you overcame it and your advice to those that bully others.