Bullying: 4 years later #EndViolence

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Bullying and adults

4 years later, and I still believe that "Bullying is not LOL"  and if you see it, you can stop it. 

When I was in high school, I was bullied, and it took me so much strength to get out of this cycle. Then I joined university to see that cycle repeats itself. It's like you spent your whole life building yourself, and then someone has the power to destroy this in one minute, in one sentence and one word.

I have to admit that I was naive to believe that once high school was over, it would get better. But it didn't. And it probably won't. 

We may sometimes think that bullying among adults or in universities is non-existent because we often don't talk about it or it is not widely portrayed in media, yet university students face racism, sexism and even intellectual jealousy (a term I didn't know existed).

Bullying is like a black hole; it drains away your energy and you are sucked into it. Many people do not report bullying because there are no specific policies at universities, and if any, most are ineffective. Some may also think that the issue will blow out of proportion and they feel ashamed if they are unable to stand up for their rights.

I have graduated this year, but I can't help thinking about my experience at university with regards to bullying.

I kept asking myself; what should I have done differently? Was it right that I just walked away and ignored them? Why me? What if I answered back or reported? What did I do to deserve this? 

If you are reading this, and you have thousands of questions racing in your mind, and you cannot figure out why you were bullied; then let me tell you that you are not alone and it's not your fault. It's never about you. I did what I thought was best for me in that situation. I said enough and walked out of the situation and ignored everything, the hostile teasing, the bullet words, and endless gossip. But you don't have to follow my path. Just do what you think is best for you and UNICEF even penned down a bullying guide which you can find here.

It's hard but once again, you have to believe firmly and strongly that no one can dim your light. I am so grateful that I had an amazing support system. I did not let this battle of war affect my grades and I am now graduating with a first-class law degree. I logged in my VOY account today after so long just to remind you that if I can do this; you can do it too. 

I have been bullied for what I share online too, and for my views, and there is no guarantee that I won't be bullied for writing this post, but I think at the end of the day, we must always have faith in ourselves and remember that we are stronger than this word, this sentence, this label, this gossip, this hate, this negativity, and this phase. 

I said this before and I am saying this again; words are like sharp blades, but at the same, I am thinking about all the times our words positively changed the world, or someone's life.

Think about it. 

Done? 

So what's the conclusion? 

In a world where words are used to divide, to put someone down, use your words to change the world. This sentence may be simple, but holds a lot of meaning. Your words have power and can turn the whole world upside down. 

Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” 
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
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