There have been a lot of experiences that have definitely left an impression on me, but few that have truly changed my life. Though I think it is safe to say that each experience that left an impression did change my life in one way or another, they didn't immediately change the way I looked at things. Very few things have done that.
One thing that changed my life was an episode of One Tree Hill, (which is the best show ever) called "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Sleep". It is about teen bullying. I suggest you go watch the episode, now. But if you decided not to, I'll give you the gist. It's about this guy who brings a gun to school and holds seven kids hostage. He talks about how he walks into school and gets bullied, every day, never ending. He brought the gun because he was tired of it, he just wanted it to stop. Unfortunately, the bullying got to him, and he committed suicide.
"You really think I'm the only one? Ask yourself this: Have you ever treated someone like crap in this school? Ever left someone out? Ever broken up with someone in the time it takes to pass a note and disappear? Or talk trash behind their back? Maybe you just ignored it all. While you worry about the big game, or the prom, or the bake sale for the pep club, you ask yourself that, and then you tell me, is anyone else out there"
"Whats wrong with you? He's just a kid. We're all just kids. We have this life, and the things you say and do, we feel that. How can you have so much hate in your heart? How can you act like it doesn't matter? It does matter. What happened to us? We're just kids, we can't be like this. It's not possible.
"So what? All this because you didn't get into college? All this because you're not popular?" "No. All this because I'm tired of it."
"I guess that's the upside to not being there in the first place, right? Nobody misses you when you're gone" "It's not supposed to be this way. The artists and scientists, none of them fit in at 17. You're supposed to get past it. Adults see kids killing kids and they know its a tragedy because they used to be those kids. The bullies and the beaten and the loners. But you're supposed to get past it. You're supposed to live long enough to take it back."
"I want to tell you something. It gets better. It does. That pain in your stomach, that pain in your heart, it goes away. That voice in your head that says there's no way out, its wrong. Please, believe me, it gets better."
It is quite possibly the most inspiring and quotable TV episode I have ever seen, and every time I watch it, it makes me cry. Not only because it's sad, but because it happens all around the world. The episode was made in 2003. Kids brought guns to school then, they bring guns to school now, and they brought guns to school long before 2003. Unfortunately, it's a cycle that never seems to end. Things like this happen because kids are bullied. And who bullies them? The ones in the school that hold the power. The ones that want to be popular. The ones who pretend to be brave, strong, and powerful, yet inside are weak, pathetic, and lonely.
School shootings happen way more often that we think, and what is so heart breaking about it is that nothing is being done. It is a problem with a very simple solution: stop bullying. But that seems to be harder than expected. Bullying happens every day, and even with anti-bullying week in schools, it doesn't change the fact that it happens. Sadly, bullying seems to have become second nature. When we feel threatened, we bully someone weaker to boost our self esteem and make us feel better. But why? What good does that do? You bully someone, who, in turn, bullies someone else in order to feel better. The cycle goes on.
Maybe we can't avoid being bullied, but if we avoid retaliation, bullying can end. It's simple, really. Bullies are only powerful if you let their words and actions hurt. Nothing destroys them faster than ignoring them. It may be difficult, but it works. All a bully wants is a reaction out of you. If you ignore them, and continue to ignore them, they'll give up. Don't stoop to their level. You're better than that. Brush it off your shoulder, keep your head up, and move on. There will be people in life who will constantly try to bring you down, but the most important thing is to show them that you're stronger than you look.
I can't wait to get out of high school. All the bullying seems to happen here, because people are sheltered. It doesn't happen in college because the bullies get a big slap in the face from reality. Don't be that person who gets slapped by reality. It's unfortunate to see.
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