Many thanks to Brenda for her courage and conviction and permission to use Jared’s story for this article. Please read Jared’s story at the end of this article, and visit the website dedicated to ending this needless cruelty. This is an ongoing problem throughout the world. It needs to stop.
I’ve tried my entire life not to hate people, to avoid the bitterness that comes with hatred and prejudice. There is one group of individuals that I could very nearly hate, though, and those are bullies. When I was a child, I had probably more than my share of bullies, due, in part to my small stature and the fact that we moved a lot. Always being the new kid has its special problems, and the new kid is like a bullseye to a school bully, because a new kid hasn’t had the time to make friends and build alliances. They’re out there on their own, until they do.
I can remember when I was in grade school, and the new kid, being a bull’s eye for girl and boy bullies alike. The girls would taunt me on the playground, threaten to cut my hair, exclude me or run away from me, saying cruel things. One particular day, I was about at the end of my rope...