Check out www.redcross.ca/standup .
As long as I have been alive bullying has been a problem and unfortunately we are ALL a part of it. We are either the bullied, the bully or the bystanders. We all have a roll to play and every single one of us can make a difference!
Check out http://www.bullyingawarenessweek.org/ and make a difference in your life or someone around you's life.
Bullying is defined [by wikipedia ... this isn't for school I am using it as a source ;)] as an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.
Honesty is the policy so ... when I was a kid I stood by and watched people be bullied because I was not brave enough to step in and say something. I also was bullied and unfortunately bullied people. At the time I don't think I knew that it actually was bullying, necessarily. But, as I have gotten older I have become aware of how the words we choose to use, when talking to people, affects them. I have experienced how our actions affect others and how after you step in and stand up for someone it isn't as hard to do, if you are in a situation like that again.
Its amazing how much more I respected myself after making the decision to stand up and step in to a bullying situation. I realized that when you step in the bully loses their "power". I like being able to stand behind my actions and not worry that someone might be hurt by what I have done. I like positivity more than negativity. I enjoy living in a world that looks for acceptance and understanding of diversity and I want my actions to represent that. I am not perfect. I slip up sometimes but I think trying is better than not.
Check out some of the stats on bullying in Canada and around the world.
http://prevnet.ca/BullyingFacts/BullyingStatistics/tabid/122/Default.aspx
I think there is an opportunity for each individual to make a difference. There are good programs that we can encourage schools to offer, we can educate our siblings, children, nieces, nephews and friends. And, you have the power to choose whether you will be a bully or not. What if we all stepped in, instead of standing by when we saw or heard bullying was going on? Is it that hard to believe that we can make a difference?
Please do not be naive enough to think that bullying is only a problem that occurs in school, with kids. Workplace bullying is just as large a problem and has less people stepping in and more people putting there head's in the sand. I am an adult now, well sort of, and I have to say it astounds me that adults continue to bully. How in the age of technology we live in, with the wealth of knowledge we have the opportunity to tap into and with the problems our world is facing can people have the time to make other people feel bad about themselves. Don't we have enough to worry about. Aren't our plates full?
Now imagine if every person who reads this blog stands up and stops bullying once, we actually use the golden rule(do onto others as you would have them do unto you). All of a sudden people are standing up to bully's and now we are passing on a solution. With any luck people will pay it forward and all of a sudden peoples sense of self worth(check out my previous blog) is improving. So with ONE action we are helping make a happier society, and lets be honest Canadians are trendsetters. Lets set the tone for the whole world. Why not dream big? Why not push the boundaries? Why should we be satisfied with less than our best?
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| If you are being bullied, have questions or need someone to talk to about anything you can call kids help phone toll free 1-800-668-6868 or visit www.kidshelpphone.ca . |
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