Bullies exist everywhere! They exist in our personal environment. They exist in our working environment. They exist in our schools . This is part of life. Will the act of bullying ever go away? Probably not. Can we alleviate the act of bullying? To be determined.
This writer is a pragmatist and believes in order for bullying to slow down, we have to play the numbers so to speak. Not everyone is going to be your friend and supporter. This is a lesson I heard about as a child from my parents. I have to admit. I didn’t believe it then and it is finally coming to fruition. Better late than never!
Does everyone want to be in the popular crowd? Who knows. I always did. I ran for student government in my grade school. I will never forget. Here is this short, slender, child with a speech impediment running for Vice President of his grammar school. I barely believed in myself and exuded zero confidence. What was I thinking? Did our ticket have a chance to win with me on the ballot?
I was not popular at all, at least in my eighth grade class. I was considered a geek and it really stung. I was picked on and made fun of by everyone in my class.
But I was smart! Smart enough to pick my running mate who had more self confidence than me. We ended up winning which was unbelievable at the time. We beat the two most popular students in our school. Almost one month or so into our term , my running mate, the president of our grammar school, was asked to resign from office. He had prevailing behavioral problems that had become a constant issue with the principal. Oh no! Now, I had to step forward as the president of our school. I was not prepared for this at all or was I? In my opinion , I ended up doing a great job as president of our school. The most difficult part was always giving speeches. With assistance from a respected teacher, I was able to deliver well written speeches to the best of my ability.
Did I finally feel successful and confident? Not really. I was still made fun of and bullied by my peers Wait a minute! I was a winner so why was this still going on? Not everyone is going to like you. Not everyone is going to vote for you. Not everyone is going to respect you. I was voted in office so someone had to vote for me. Does this mean I was well liked? It could. Does this mean I was more popular than I gave myself credit for? All signs are pointing to yes. Did I play the numbers? Absolutely! I knew that I was a smart and a likable child. My peers in my eighth grade class may not have respected me however most of the students in our school did.
You lose some. You win some. This time I won!
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