VITAL, Christine N.

A-131

Be A Buddy, Not Bully

Did you ever imagine how sweet would life be if there is no obstacle? How

peaceful will the world be, if we value love for one another more than anything? You

see, we always envision of this lovely panorama, yet we do not take stand and make

actions for it to be a reality. We focus on the bigger picture without zooming in to

each and every detail, and bullying which is one of the issues that keeps on haunting

our aspiration for serenity, has become an everyday strife that we tend to take for

granted. It would be a myth to consider bullying as a mere and usual problem, for it

falls under violence. An extreme one, as it abuses the mind, the body and even the

soul.

Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 defines bullying as any severe or repeated use by one

or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, physical act or gesture,

or any combination thereof, directed towards another student which causes fear of

physical or emotional harm, creating a hostile environment. According to 2017

national statistics, about 70.6% of young people say that they witnessed bullying in

their corresponding schools. And isn't it disheartening that a lot of juveniles suffer

from this immoral deed, in a place that is supposed to serve as their second home?

"Why does it have to be me?", "what is just wrong with being me?", "why do

others make fun of me almost in every time?" Those are just few of around ten

thousand thoughts, loaded within the mind of a bullied person. Believe me, its not an
exaggeration, for I can retell my own experience in this heinous crime. It was not a

typical context of "give me your money, or else I will hurt you", but I could say that

words hurt longer than physical pain. I was a victim, but not because of my

appearance. I was a victim, but not because I act differently. But I became one, when I

displayed who I am as a student which made the bully target on me. I have this high

value for A's in my report card, because for me, that is somehow a great sense of

fulfillment. Yet, it is not at all times, that we get what is the equivalent of our efforts.

There was a time where I end up crying over these numbers and I told my best friend

about this matter, consequently, whom I thought as the person who will understand

me, became the bully who called me "weak" and tagged me as a "crybaby". He was

always like that, thinking that it was all a joke, but I want to detach myself from that

point of view. If it’s a joke I should've laugh at it. Yet, I did not and as per what I have

read, that can be considered as a form of bullying.

That happening made me cry each and every night. That occurence made me

think, "when will everything be alright?". But once in a while, I neither regret

listening to those melancholic utterances nor consider my best friend as an enemy at

that point of my life. I owe it to him learning a lesson, maybe not overcoming that

weakness in its totality, but somehow I found a way on how to manage it. Yet, this

testimony is not a living proof that the same it goes for others who suffered from

bullying, because it is a case to case basis, depending on the severity of the experience.

Just like what VeryWell.com revealed last April 2019- bullying provides no room for

growth in character, it rather hinders it as it affects self-esteem in an adverse manner.

Yes it may teach a lesson for some, but what if it will bring trauma and depression to

others? Sometimes it even provokes contemplating suicide, attributable to the person

having been bullied.

Perhaps what must serve as an eloquent reminder to us is that what we say and

what we do, affects other people though it may not seem like that. Filter our words,

control our emotions and be proper in terms of actions, for you might commit

bullying if you do otherwise. Let us not also take advantage of other's frailness,

instead, let us help them grow and be strong. I will leave it here, hoping that one day

we will open our eyes into a world full of love.