Teach how to love, and we will grow beyond bullying

I was bullied in school.

Both primary and secondary school.

It was a terrible collection of experiences.

Being afraid for your physical or emotional health and safety, with every passing moment, is not the most pleasant situation to be forced into by another human being.

I was lucky in a sense, I was able to get through these situations without too much damage to my person or my personality.

It took me a long time to realise that these experiences were a large part of how I learned to be aware of social situations, learned how behaviour affects outcomes. Now I understand the consequences of behaviour, and how to achieve the situational outcomes I prefer.

I learned to analyse other people’s personalities and recognize patterns in their behaviour. I learned to negotiate, to talk my way out of bad situations.

I learned to raise my own awareness of my surroundings and understand the types of energy in a crowd. Now I’m able to connect with the people around me, understand their frame of mind and their emotional triggers.

Many aren’t so lucky.

Every day around us we see bullying. Condescension. Offence. Attacks. All triggered by fear and lack of understanding.

By sharing our experiences and our skills in communication, empathy, understanding, we can help to encourage this communication amongst our
children.

By practising consciously leading by example, with every passing moment, and living true to our core values, we help that universal understanding to grow.

With every passing moment, we can teach our children to give and receive love.

 

If you find yourself or someone you know moved or affected by any of this, or has thought about or talked about suicide, please reach out and talk to someone. Here is a list of contacts around the world you can call:

http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html