Day 195 – November 15, 2011
Sometimes risk taking may involve the most simple of acts. Yet we often whip up a bag full of excuses to avoid taking action. For goodness sake (literally), let's step beyond our security bubbles and start reaching out to those who cross our path.
~Chelee Thompson
Yesterday I read a heartbreaking article online about a 10 year old girl, that was found hanging in her closet. She hung herself, because she was being bullied in her elementary school and in her neighborhood. Another child, a fifth grader has committed suicide. In the article it was stated that the parents found out about the bullying two weeks ago. I sat in my chair and cried. I cried for the family who now has to bury their child and I cried because of the circumstances surrounding her death. “Bullying, Bullying” again, “Bullying” it burns my backside. Another child, another town, another school, another set of parents who will never get to watch their child grow up and become something wonderful in this world. I'm not sure who I'm more disappointed with, society for attempting to sweep it under the rug and hide it, or the adults who naively believe there isn't a problem.
Clearly, if young people are dying from this, regardless of scale, “THERE IS A PROBLEM.” Young people are supposed to grow up, live life, be the future leaders of our world. Not kill themselves because they are being relentlessly picked on. When did suicide become the viable option to a difficult situation? What bothers me is, that the bullies and the bystanders are not being held accountable for the end results. This is not a battle of the strong-vs-weak. In most of the cases I have heard of, the kids are ganged up on, in school, on the internet, and through their cell phone texts. They never stand a chance. The bullies swarm like “fire ants” and continue to relentlessly harass, harangue and assault, until the victim believes they are left with only one choice, suicide. I ask the question again, “When did suicide become the solution?” This is all bad. The learned bad behavior, the gang mentality, the lack of resources for these kids to get help. We as a nation have only ourselves to blame. Not to put too fine a point on this; their deaths are on the hands of our society, our culture and especially my generation. Where do you think they (both the bullied and the bullies) learned this stuff?
It is bad enough to know that adults bully adults (recently a teacher was bullied to ensure she didn't help another teacher's struggling student). How is that a good idea in any universe? Is this really the example we want to pass along to the next generation? If adults can do it and get away with it, then kids can do it too, sure why not? We (my generation as a whole) have set the bar so shockingly low for personal behavior and self respect, that it was inevitable that our children would suffer for it. It's completely unacceptable and really un-American, I'm certain our founding fathers and even our grandfathers would be horrified at our disregard for what they fought so hard to bring to light in the world...the hope of a better future. These kids are dying, and their dying far too young and we are either forming committees and talking about it (end result...usually nothing), or turning a blind eye to it with the belief that if it's not happening to me, then why should I get involved?
So, the White House forms another task force. The Federal Task Force in Bullying Prevention...Really these people can't balance a budget, nor create jobs, or even simply agree. What do they think they can do to reduce or stop bullying and change the cultural tides? In my personal opinion nothing. Here's why, you can't legislate morality. That's what we're missing in this county, we have taken our personal responsibility and the responsibility to the next generation and cast it aside in favor of blatant self-interest and short-term thinking. This, by its very nature, excludes any responsibility to the future generations of this nation and the world. I have to confess, it is my generation the Baby Boomers, that disappoint me the most. The very same people who stood there and listened to President John F. Kennedy say, “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” have spent the last fifty years asking, “Yeah, but what's in it for me?” This is the generation whose greed and narrow mindedness has precipitated three wars, where the youth of our nation, these people children, have been sacrificed on the alter of corporate profit and oil money. We have acted as if we can "bully" the world and this is the example we are setting. Makes me wonder, will this get worse before it gets better? How many more children will die needlessly, because of bullying?
This cultural epidemic, this cancer is epigenetic and invasive and has creeped into every corner of our lives. From the television shows we watch, to the video games we play, to the ridiculous circus of partisan politics, this country has infected itself and as such the only cure has to come from within. Our hearts have to change (Okay, after I get over being so pissed off at my generation - forgiveness counts), and we have to understand our purpose isn't, “he who dies with the most stuff wins” because let's face it, as the old saying goes “you can't take it with you”, but to leave the next generation healthier, more balanced, and better able to face the challenges of an unknown future. These kids are dying not because they are any weaker, or any less important. They are dying because they have not been taught how to deal with these types of assaults, the relentless abuse and they feel as if they have no where to turn, because our society, school administrations and other theoretically responsible parties have turned a blind eye to this issue. This isn't a political stunt, this is our future and we are failing.
Bullying today is not like bullying 30 years ago. There is no longer one-on-one bullying, it is cyber gangs and it is never a fair fight. Many children have been lost because of bullying. It seems as if our generation has taken its eye off the ball by allowing this insidious infection (bullying) to grow unchecked. It's killing our future. How many of these kids could have been the one, to cure cancer, to solve the mysteries of the universe, to find a way to reverse global warming, or a million other possibilities. Now we will never know, there is no reset button for life.
Here is another thought; what happens to the older generation when these “fire ants bullies” become adults and are in control of the fate of our nation? Now, that's something to think about.
Don't you think it's time to step up and step in© to stop bullying?
How will you step up and step in© today?
Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote
Thank you for reading.
