Life is hard; we already know that personally and socially. Why, then, do we constantly persecute others? Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. (SafeYouth.org).
Sadly, most people who are bullied usually think, attempt, or commit suicide to find relief from the torture of everyday life. Shockingly, every 16 minutes someone in the United States takes their life. Approximately around 30,000 people commit suicide each year. Below is a tragic story about a girl who committed suicide due to someone's cruelty:
Megan Meier had had a rough life. Her 7th grade year in Jr. High was so hard that her Mom eventually decided to move her to a different school for 8th grade. Things looked like they were going to shape up. Soon, Megan decided she'd like to have a MySpace account, eager to make more friends. Reluctantly, her mother agreed. Quickly, she met Josh Evans, a 16 year old boy who lived in a nearby city and was home schooled. The two constantly talked online. Megan reported to her family that her "spirits lifted."
Unfortunately, Josh Evans was not a real person. He was Lori Drew, Megan's ex-best friend's Mother. On October 15, 2006, the tone of the messages changed, with Lori saying (via the account), "I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends." Soon, Megan's letters were spread across the bulletins of MySpace, and more rude letters were sent to her from "Josh."
Adamantly, Christina Meier, Megan's Mother, ordered her to get offline and stay out of the fight. Megan, however, didn't listen, she wanted to defend herself. Eventually, she soon reported back to her Mother distraught from all of the hurtful things. Christina, however, soon became angry that her daughter didn't listen to her order to get off of the computer. After the argument Megan ran back up to her room. According to her father, Ronald Meier, and a neighbor who had discussed the hoax with Lori, the last message "Josh" sent read: "Everybody in O'Fallon knows how you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a shitty rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you." Megan responded with a message reading: "You're the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over." She was found twenty minutes later, hanging by her neck in a closet. The following day she was pronounced dead.
Lori Drew had talked to fellow neighbors about the hoax and had laughed and said she wanted to, "Mess with Megan." Thankfully, Lori is now serving time in jail.
How could anyone do this? How could anyone be so cruel? Do we realize that everything we do has a universal impact? Here's another story:
A teenaged boy who was constantly picked on at school had had it. He couldn't take anymore. So, that day, he decided that after school he'd go home and kill himself. As he came to this decision he was tripped and dropped all of his textbooks. This only seemed to enforce the idea of suicide more powerfully through his head. That's when a real popular guy at the school stopped, bent down, and helped him pick up his books. He then said four easy, simplistic words, "Have a good day." He saved that boy's life, because after that incident he realized that there were still nice people out there. That popular boy didn't know, though, until years later at the High School Reunion when the bullied boy came up to him and told him.
Everything we do has a universal effect. Everything. Here is another story, this one is about me:
My Jr. High years, mainly 7th and 8th grade, were a huge struggle. People were constantly picking on me. I was constantly beat up and sexually harassed. I felt worthless.
There were times I’d come home trying to keep up my happy façade and then suddenly just break down and fall apart.
Despite all of the constant torment, however, I tried staying optimistic. I loved making people laugh, I just took pleasure in seeing joy on others faces. I’d go out of my way to make a new friend. Unfortunately, it was very rare to find anyone who really liked me. To most of the other students I was just something amusing, something to study and then discard into the trash. Day in and day out I was called a faggot, it didn’t help that I was also struggling with my own sexuality around then too. Faggot was my name, gay boy, too. Nobody, but a select few, wanted to associate with me.
One day, a particularly hard one, I was talking to one of my only friends when all of a sudden a guy, whom I had never met before, came up to me and started causing trouble.
After a few harsh words he soon pushed me as hard as he could into the door jam. I then fell to the ground, unable to defend myself. At that exact moment the bell rang and the halls were immediately filled with students. Everyone could see me lying there on the floor in pain—but no one cared.
The bruise, as you can imagine, was horrible. I couldn’t stop crying. I remember staying in the bathroom trying to debate if I should report the incident or not. Eventually, I decided I had to report it. When I reported the event, however, I was believed by some of the faculty but mostly I was accused of having started the fight. The school officer even went as far as to say that I pressed charges on the kid that that kid could file them on me and have a stronger case.
They all saw my back. They all knew that it was bruised from the top to the bottom, they even had documented pictures. And, if that wasn’t enough, they also had a recording of the actual event. The kid did get suspended, though many believed I should’ve been suspended instead. After that things just got ten times worse. I was the prime target for many people—even a few teachers.
For the first time I will admit that I did contemplate suicide. Several times I was more than ready to end it all, it could’ve been so easily done. I didn’t see a silver lining. I didn’t see a happy ending on the horizon. But, thankfully, Heavenly Father preserved me. He gave me the strength to endure. He gave me another chance to think things over.
I wish I could report that things eventually went well at that school and that people soon realized how wrong they’d been and apologized to me sincerely. But that’d be one big fat lie. However, the silver lining eventually came during my 9th grade year. After enduring immediate abuse at the beginning of the year we decided it was time to switch schools, the new school changed my life all for the better and gave me a newfound hope in humanity.
Having gone through being bullied I now know that everything we do is universal. What we do to others will impact them, either positively or negatively. So, I plead with you all let’s change the world. Let’s be kinder. When we change someone’s life, let it be because we did something for them that helped them out. If you want a change in the world it has to start with you. So, are you ready? Will you do the right thing?
Life is Beautiful.
