BULLY



Yes, I was one of them.  One of the bullies, and the bullied.

The competitive nature of school combined with a lack of self-control further combined with a search for self-image can lead to some ugly scenarios.

I was suspended from school (and subsequently grounded) for two days for a bullying incident with another individual on a school bus.  The truth was, we were both the subject of some dirty taunts, but instead of banding together, we turned on each other, trying to prove to the other that we were man enough.  We were trying to prove to all the other people or bullies around us that we had a greater purpose than to be bullied.  It reminds me of an animalistic survival of the fittest with little regard for rules.

For guys, the argument is often that we are not tough enough. Often the band members and artists are targets of scrutiny.  For girls, the argument is often that they are not pretty enough or worthy to ever attract another guy to them.

This is where I say that is imperative that both you and me act. Be educated. Be aware.

The teenage and college years can be among some of the most impressionable years that we have, years that we reject authority but thirst for guidance all at the same time. My advice is to invest. Be involved in your community through a church or other interest group and be a guide to the young males and females that surround you.

For me, I could have used the guidance that I was worthy, that my worth was independent of an earthly human being's opinion.  For a woman, I can imagine that the words of 1 Peter 3:3-4 could transform her outlook on her body and here place within this world.

We may no longer roam the halls within our school systems, but we can feed an alternative message that is much more profound taunts on a school bus.

Invest integrity into our future. The return will be ever greater in the up and coming years.

The music video below was written and compiled in three days by Mike Tompkins, a Youtube music artist in response to a documentary, BULLY, which releases in select theaters today, April 13. (http://www.thebullyproject.com/)