Personal Post
I don’t think the world’s black and white. I don’t think some people are completely innocent victims and some people are completely carefree bullies.
I think that people very often do things to earn the rough treatment they receive, and I think that people very often think themselves justified in treating people roughly. But I also think that fighting with callous cruelty will never make any situation better. I don’t think that anybody’s going to change because we call them names or humiliate them or give them the punishment they “deserve.”
Some people believe that what happens to others is not their concern, not their responsibility. Maybe you’re one of those people. That’s your choice, but I cannot deny that I disagree. Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of living in a world where inaction means nothing. We think we can escape responsibility by inaction, but we’re wrong.
If I fail to do my part to end the problems in this world, I have no choice but to become a part of them. By my inaction, I have personally condoned child labor, inhumane torture of animals, self-harm, familial abuse, and unthinkably cruel exchanges between human beings, among other things. And those are only the terrors I have done by my INaction. At the very least, I must be motivated by the fact that I have done more damage than I will ever be able to undo or make up for in my lifetime. But that is far from all that motivates me. I believe, from the most profound depths of my heart, that if there really exists such brokenness in the world - if all these people are killing themselves, hurting themselves, destroying the planet, destroying each other, abusing each other - then we are meant to hold our palms against the wound.
How could we not? How can you look yourself in the mirror, truly force yourself to think about it, and not feel that ache in your gut that you must do something if there is ANYTHING that can be done?
Bullying is one of a thousand problems like this, a symptom of a much a greater apathy that is tearing people apart. But we can be a part of the solution, and we ought to be.
