'People throw rocks at things that shine...'

This week, alongside many other people, I watched the Channel 4 thriller 'Cyberbully'. If you haven't seen it, I really recommend you do. It portrays the story of a teenage girl experiencing her computer being hacked into and being cyberbullied, however, there's a lot more to it than that. I won't spoil it for you. However, I will say that it really made me think and as a result I felt angry and disgusted at how we all treat one another. I'm not saying that I'm the perfect person and never say a hurtful comment about anyone, because that just wouldn't be true. I will admit that I am an extremely blunt person, I say it as it is and have strong opinions about things. But, I would never say something to intentionally hurt someone or belittle them out of spite or just to make them feel small.

In relation to cyberbullying, I think it's an issue that a lot of people experience. There isn't a single day pass by without seeing some form of argument or conflict on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. People writing indirect status' or tweets in order to express their anger with someone else. Everyone does it. But not everyone thinks before they type. Teenagers can be especially harsh.

When I was in high school I was victim of online bullying, as well as real life bullying. I know that most people experience this nowadays, which is a horrifying concept, and people say 'it's just part of growing up'. Well, that may be, but I still remember the comments that were made to me vividly. I'm still incredibly self conscious of my eyes because of the people that repeatedly said I had 'fish eyes' or 'frog eyes' because they're big. Whenever anyone makes a comment on my eyes such as 'they're so big' my heart immediately sinks and I feel embarrassed because I take it as an insult, whether it was intended to be or not. If someone compliments my eyes I can't believe them because all my mind says is 'well what about the bullies and what they said?' How sad is that? 20 years old, left high school nearly 4 years ago, and I still get bothered by the things bullies said to me. I can deal with that, no, I won't get over it, but I don't have to listen to it anymore. What terrifies me most is the fact that people like my little cousins are/have started high school and they might have to or might already be facing this awful experience that may impact them for the rest of their lives.

It isn't a secret that so many young people commit suicide as a result of bullying. I know of people who have done it, people I went to school with. And I can totally believe it and understand why people do it. Why would anyone want to get up in the morning and drag themselves to school, work, anywhere to be the subject of abuse and be so dehumanised that you feel worthless? So many people don't understand and so many people aren't willing to try and understand. Yes, it is true that criticism is a part of life that we have to endure and have to embrace and learn from, but there is a difference between criticism and bullying.

I don't want this post to be all doom and gloom, because all it does is get people angry and get people ranting about how they 'hate bullies' etc. Yes, feel angry by all means, but do something about it. If you see someone getting bullied, try your best to help stop it, whether that means telling a teacher, manager, parent, whoever. Don't sit back and watch people be dragged down by others. And in regards to the bullies, they're cowards. The chances are they too are facing problems and insecurities that they fight against by inflicting their pain upon other people. Don't disregard them as wastes of time, because the chances are there is more than meets the eye. Don't become a bully yourself out of fear of standing out, if you're trying to fit in with people that bully people then you really should reconsider your self worth.

As the title of this post says: 'People throw rocks at things that shine.' This is a quote from a Taylor Swift song called Ours. This particular line means so much to me because it's so true. People will do anything to bring down people that stand out, that they are jealous of, that stay true to themselves. If you are/have been bullied, as tough as it may be, take it as a compliment. To the people that bullied me (although I highly doubt they'll be reading this): Thank you. You may have caused insecurities that might not go away, but you have made me a much stronger person. You made me realise I am worth so much more than your petty comments and I don't need the approval of people that are completely irrelevant in my life to feel good about myself.

It isn't something that will ever be easily resolved. But if we all make a promise to ourselves to try our best not to belittle people or hurt people intentionally through acts of jealousy or spitefulness then surely bullying won't be as big an issue. No one is born a bully. We all make that decision ourselves about how to treat people. Make the right decision.

Love,
Emma x