Love Thy Neighbor

         Sometimes I encounter people at work who are a little odd and a lot annoying. They are actually really nice people, but I find them really strange. I have to hold myself back and make sure that I am nice to them. Its a real test . I am not proud to say that I struggle with this issue, but I do. It is hard to uphold, but so rewarding  to achieve.  At the end of the day I do not want to be the one who makes someone cry before they go to sleep at night . I do not want that on my head.
           I work with someone who is a bully . It is so awful to hear those she torments confide how she harasses them. The shame in their faces when they tell over the story makes me resolve  not to bully those who it would be so easy to take advantage of. I like to be able to sleep at night. Having a clear conscious goes a long way.
           Holding my tongue when it could be used sharply against some nerd gets easier with time. After awhile they get less annoying as I get used to them. Life and death are in the power of one's tongue. I would prefer to use my words  for life.

bully

i recently saw the documentary  bully which documents several children who have been bullied. some of these children were so emotionally battered from the abuse that they went as far as taking their own lives . it is heartbreaking to watch . if you have ever been the victim of bullying you know how real the pain can be. fortunately  i never experienced the extent of bullying these children had, but i experienced enough to know how awful it can be. a lot of kids don't tell their parents so they aren't defended. sometimes the schools do not help the bullied even when parents tell them this is going on. some children do not know how to stick up for themselves, and need help learning how to. this still does not justify the bully. it is not acceptable to blame the victim. these are children. there needs to be a way to teach respect for others.  this documentary was about public schools, but bullying happens everywhere even in adulthood which is even more dangerous. some who are bullied can't take it anymore and try to harm others. one little girl who was bullied could not take it anymore and held her school bus hostage at gunpoint. no one was harmed, but why should a child be pushed so far that she feels this is the only way to defend herself from others?  often there is not just one bully but many who are bullying one victim. how does one defend oneself then? the schools need to buck up and stop these bullies. a child should not feel afraid to go to school. it should not have taken an extreme like having to make a documentary to make people get up and look inward at how one treats one's fellow man. yes  it comes down to v'ahavta l'rayacha kamocha. love your neighbor. loving your neighbor means respecting others even if they are not exactly like you are. there is an anti-bullying movement out there that basicly is saying that people need to wake up and treat each other properly. i just love this sentiment. it is sad that such tragedies have had to happen to make people introspective, but if change really happens then these tragedies will not be in vain. will this happen over night? no , but i believe that if this project prevents just one child from taking his/her own life this project will have been successful. if this project stops just one kid from becoming a bully it will have been successful.