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It’s appalling to me that people commit suicide every day as a result of abuse and bullying. People’s lives are brought to an untimely end because of the way that others treat them. What’s worse is that we’re being taught to think that people who commit suicide are just weak, when the truth is that they feel they have no other way to get away from the abuse that they’re suffering through.
I consider myself lucky, because I found the strength to keep living. I considered suicide several times, and came very close to doing it once. I can understand better than most how much pain a person has to be in to consider suicide. I have experienced more than my share of abuse, and I have seen it in far too many others. Most people don’t take suicide lightly. They try as much as they can to keep going and keep taking the pain, but eventually it becomes too much and they feel that ending their life is the only possible way to end their suffering.
No one should ever have to be in a position where they think that ending their life is better than living it. As a society, we should be doing everything that we possibly can to make sure that no one ever feels that victimized or helpless. Not only do we need to be supportive of the people who are victims of abuse and bullying, we need to take action to stop the abuse at the source. It’s our society that is breeding and even encouraging bullying, so it’s up to us to put an end to it. If we can create abusers, we can create better people just as easily.
There is absolutely no excuse for bullying. People try to say that it’s a natural thing, that we all need to “toughen up”, that it’s acceptable to be verbally abusive to other people. Those things are lies. It’s never okay to bully someone or to abuse them. Verbal abuse is just as bad as, if not worse than, physical abuse. Verbal abuse can cause serious long-term mental damage to the recipient. If you wouldn’t like someone saying something to you, you should never say it to someone else.
One thing that we can all do to help prevent bully-related suicide is to never be a bully or abuser ourselves. Before you say something to another person, always think “Would it hurt if someone said that to me?” If the answer is yes, then don’t say it. Don’t call people stupid, fat, ugly, or anything like that. Don’t use racial slurs. Don’t insult someone because you don’t like their clothes, voice, hobbies or anything else. Treat everyone you come into contact with the way you want people to treat you. If you have negative opinions or don’t like someone, keep those thoughts to yourself. And never think that because you’re a victim of bullying or abuse that it’s okay to do it to others. It’s not, and someone should be helping you.
If you know of someone who’s being verbally abusive to people, ask them to stop. Explain how they’re hurting people and the affect that it can have. If you know someone who’s being physically abusive, report them immediately. If you fear for your safety, find a way to report them anonymously. If you’re in a position to do so, try having a talk with people in your area (especially young people) about what bullying and verbal abuse are, why they shouldn’t do it, and how it can impact or even end another person’s life.
If you know someone who’s experiencing bullying or abuse, do all that you can to help them. If you can’t stop whoever’s hurting them, do what you can to help them stay strong and keep living. Be supportive and loving and honest. Remind them of how valuable life is, and how good it can be when they get away from the abuse. If you’re a victim of bullying or abuse, try to find someone to talk to and get help. If you feel like you don’t have anyone, you can always send me a private message using the contact form and I’ll be here for you.
We have to make bullying and verbal abuse a thing of the past. We have to teach society that this is wrong and needs to stop. Human life is so precious and wonderful, no one should be allow a world where people snuff out their light because of some other damaged person constantly hurting them. Nothing changes unless we make it change, and we absolutely can make a change by speaking out and taking action.
