Bullies (Part One)

Many people say that school is a microcosm of the world at large. You have your popular kids that influence everyone. You have the bosses and the followers. The wallflowers and the brainiacs. And then you have your bullies. Ah the bullies. Those self centered selfish mean kids that had such low self esteem and so much anger, they could only feel good about themselves while hurting others. 

One bully story that I will always remember has had a profound influence on me in my adult life. Perhaps it was a foreshadowing of what I would try to accomplish as an adult. 

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In seventh grade I came face to face with the most fearsome bully of my entire grade school. We will call him Jack. A friend of mine asked me if I could get him a cupcake from the food counter. They cost only 25 cents and when I got there I saw there was only one left which I figured was rightfully his since he asked me to get him one. I placed the quarter in the cup and took the cupcake for my friend. A hand grabbed mine. "Hey I wanted that cupcake!" bellowed Jack. "I'm sorry but it's not for me" I explained. "Give me the cupcake now!" I knew that I was no match for this humongous eighth grade bully. "Ok, here it's all yours" I said as I smashed the chocolate frosted cake into his face and walked out of the lunchroom listening to the laughter and cheers of all the younger kids that had been bullied by Jack one too many times. Of course I had to make sure to avoid Jack for the rest of the year, and breathed a sigh of relief the day he graduated. 

I learned an important lesson that day. The only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them.
Sometimes we don't even realize we are being bullied. Sometimes bullying happens simply when we are taken advantage of, and our needs are being ignored for the selfish needs of someone that thinks they have all the power, and we are insignificant.

Part Two- The cost of bullying