Bullying has always been a problem for many generations. Many
countries and groups of people have rallies, theme days, national appeals, and
many other things to put an end to bullying. Recently movie stars and national
role-models have reached out to some of the victims to help build positive
self-esteem, but the problem is still evident in our world. We cannot solve the
problem by trying to make the bully feel guilty or feel sorry for his/her
deeds. We need to heal our world, not blame, or judge others. If we know or can
walk in the bully’s shoes, we will be surprised by the pain that he/she is
carrying.
There are long lists of the effect, signs, and symptoms of
bullying, but we do not pay attention to the mental state of the bully.
Bullying is like a “mental disorder” that cannot be overlooked. I am not
minimizing the victim’s pain, but I am saying that if we look deeper, we will
see that they are all victims. We cannot solve this by standing up to the bully
or trying to make him/her understand his/her actions. Waving a pink shirt in
the bully’s face is like waving a bottle of wine in an alcoholic’s face. We
must solve the problem at the root or source. It is like putting a band-aid on
the wound or treating the symptoms and not the problem. With this in mind, we
must reach out to others with love and compassion and not judge. Bullies are
seen in every economic status, race, gender and aged group. It is easy to point
the finger to children and teens, but there are lots of adult bullies
everywhere in our community and world.
There are many bullies who are CEO’s, managers, principals,
co-workers, and people who are in supervisory positions. These bullies may not
be seen as bullies because they are in a superior role and they oversee
subordinate employees. We must help our bullies and the victims of
bullying. Victims of bullying may experience physical, emotional, and
behavioral problems. It is stated that the victims of bullying may experience
physical symptoms such as stress, headaches, stomach-aches, changes in
appetite, bedwetting, dizziness, and general aches and pains. Psychological
symptoms often include irritability, anxiety, sadness, trouble sleeping,
frequent nightmares, tiredness in the mornings, loneliness, helplessness, and
feeling isolated. Victims of bullying especially children and teens may exhibit
behavioral symptoms such as avoiding social situations, getting to school or
late for work, taking off more days, skipping school without telling parents,
or even trying to retaliate against their tormentors. As they struggle with the
effect of bullying their grades may decline, and they may become
self-destructive even run away from home, hurting themselves or contemplating
suicide to run away from the pain of bullying.
The bully may be experiencing all the same physical,
psychological, mental, and emotional pain similar to the victim. Bullying is
very complex, we have to solve it with the joint
effort of families, teachers, caretakers and everyone who is raising children,
bullies, and victims of bullying. Let us join together and help and protect
children before it is too late.
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