What's on my Wednesday's mind

• Bullying.
• The word pricks everyone of my senses in my body.
• What incredibly devastating it effects it has on people.
• When did we as a society and race decide we weren’t going to let people, just be people.
• When did it become ok for kids as young as 12 to commit suicide because they felt that death was better than being bullied at school and online.
• Don’t say well I don’t think it’s ok, because if it’s not ok, and we as a whole society believed that collectively, why is it that it is still occurring? In fact, why is it getting worse? Why are we not doing more about it?
• It breaks my heart that humans questioning sexuality feel like lesser people because of nasty words said.
• It breaks my heart that young kids make themselves physically sick at schools because they want to be sent home so they’re not subjected to physical and psychological bullying in school yards.
• It breaks my heart that a young girl struggling with weight issues develops bulimia because kids decide to call her fat. For the fun of it.
• It breaks my heart that people can start to hate their jobs because they feel victimised or left out in the workplace.
• It breaks my heart that people are taking their lives daily because someone made a choice to bully them to the point they felt they had no choice.
• No really. When did it become ok for us to make anyone feel worthless and alone.
• It just breaks my hurt.
• Sigh.
• Everybody is different, to a lesser or bigger extent, but we’re human. We have choices. We have a choice to not say nasty and hurtful things.
• We have a choice to not hide behind veils of anonymity online and say things specifically for the purposes of bringing someone else down or making them feel terrible.
• I want to shake people awake and say STOP IT.
• Never participate in any forms of bullying. Online. School yard. Workplace.
• I wish more people would stop to think before they opened their mouth to bring someone else down.
• Stop it.
• What if that kid who channels their energy in to beating people up and saying nasty things at school, channelled it instead in to sport. Imagine the incredible achievements that could come of that.
• What if that girl who made herself feel better by saying nasty comments to friends and foe’s channelled that instead in to something she loved like music, or fashion or writing, and made herself feel better in positive ways.
• The world is an incredibly complex place.
• We don’t need to participate in it negatively though.
• Feeling sorry for someone who is suffering isn’t enough though. Doing something is.
• Smile at strangers more. Swap negative thoughts with positive ones. DON’T say bad things about people that are just simply not necessary.
• What might seem insignificant for you, may be hugely significant to others and break someone’s spirit, self esteem or worse.
• And if only for a day, change something you are going to say to someone negatively, in to something that is fantastic about them.
• And who knows.
• Maybe. Just maybe, we can all be responsible for a positive change in the world.

I hope.  

NOTE on today's post - It's ok! I'm ok, this hasn't been spurred on by being bullied myself. In my job however I see cases frequently where kids and adults (mostly kids though) are vehemently bullied and parents just don't know what to do about it. I am pushing for legislative changes nationally to make schools and workplaces more accountable should bullying be occurring under their care - but I think pushing the issue if only for a moment in to your mind today then that's a good thing.