I had a really lengthy post prepared to go along with this image today. I had wanted to share a story about a friend of mine who recently was the victim of unprovoked bullying. I wanted to tell you all about how I didn’t take a strong enough stand at first. I brushed off the incident, and continued to allow a bully to be a part of my life. I allowed a valued friend to be hurt by someone’s words & actions. It took a second incident by the same person for me to realize that, what they were doing was not okay. It took countless others coming forward and saying “Oh they did this to other people too.” for me to finally remove the person from my life. How I reacted was not okay. We cannot remain silent. We must take a stand against bullying, and ensure that people realize that their words can be the most lethal of weapons. We cannot be afraid. I was afraid, and now I’m ashamed. I let my friend down, and anyone else who has been bullied, because I continued to remain silent.
If we continue to be afraid to stand up against bullying, then we will continue to watch thousands of students each and every year miss out on a valued education because they skip school to avoid bullies. We will continue to watch many of our youth (and adults too) commit suicide because of bullying. We will continue to watch cyber bullying incidents rise at dramatic rates each and every year. These are only a few facts out of hundreds. The vicious cycle will go on…and on…and on.
It’s National Anti Bullying Week. (the 16th through the 20th). My dear friend Cate Footman is encouraging Second Lifers to take a stand against bullying and “Break the Silence”. Share an anti-bullying inspired image, to encourage others to be aware of bullying not only in our real lives but also in our second lives too.
