By: Catrina Leone
The statistics on suicide are rising through the years; teenagers, children, even adults taking their own lives because of bullying. Why has bullying become such a grave problem in our generation? So much so, for some people to say that suicide is the easy way out. I feel that a person pushing someone to the point of not wanting to live anymore is truly a tragedy. I have personally experienced bullying in different forms; cyber-bullying, verbal bullying, etc. I don’t tell people my stance on it to get pity; I tell them, because I have overcome it.
I am a very strong person, which I owe to God, my family and other positive influences around me. In reality, the person doing the bullying has insecurities inside of them, which they think gives them the right to take it out on another, by inflicting any type of pain they can. The victims they choose are “easy targets” that typically do not stand up for themselves. That was me, I was that girl who tried to be nice to everyone, the girl who was quiet, but loud in my own way, that girl that was the “easy target.” In grade school, I became very insecure due to the remarks I would receive regarding how curly my hair was, or how I did not dress in the latest fashion trends. As I have gotten older, I have come to realize and accept it is less about that and more about character. That is what we should value people on, their character. I was spit on in high school, taunted, ridiculed, and now look at what I have become. I am living my dreams, using the bullying as fuel and fire. You are not alone. Parents, counselors, peers, they all care about you. As cliché as it sounds, it does get better and easier when you make that bold choice to put the power back on you, take it back, where it belongs. We all have the power to change our lives, by teaching people how to treat us. We have all seen bullying happen, maybe even encouraged it once or twice, but we need to stick up for ourselves and be the voice for the people who have lost their own. We could be that person’s miracle. So, to whoever is reading this… I hope to be yours.
- Tags: Bully Free, catrina leone, western campus
