I'm sure when most of us were kids, we were taught the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. We were also taught that when people do the wrong things, there are consequences and punishments, and yet so many people tell the tales of absolutely horrific bullying where there were no such consequences for their bullies even when reported. I'm not talking about a little teasing here and there, I'm talking to the point where people have had to move away, or police got involved, or to the point that it was so bad, the victim killed themselves. If we're to a point as a society where we think its okay to let that level of bullying continue to the point where young kids as young as elementary age, kill themselves, honestly what does that say about the people we have become?
I'm not sure when the lessons in life about bullying became, if you get bullied, then just ignore it and hope it will go away, rather than, when you get bullied, report it, and that person will get dealt with appropriately. Why do we constantly reward the bully in our society and punish the victims who are already at a bullies mercy? Why do we expect young children who have not reached the maturity of adults to know how to handle someone harassing them online 24/7, or punching them every single day in the locker room, a bully threatening their life or their family if they tell anyone what the bullies are doing to them, or constantly day by day tearing down their victims mercilessly? Most adults wouldn't know how to handle that level of harassment or abuse...which is why we do advise if adults are in that situation to call the police so they can help handle it, yet we expect a 10 year old to just be fine with what is happening to them.
There are also two sides to the story. Bullies themselves are often acting out because of something going on in their own lives. No one just starts physically assaulting others if they are happy and content. Many bullies need something---more mental/physical stimulation, help dealing with home issues, mental help, more structure, etc. to help them manage what may be their own feelings of rage, anger, boredom, or whatever else is going on in their lives. Rather than having positive ways and safe spaces to deal with these issues, they often just channel it into others.
I don't think we have the "luxury" to keep ignoring the issues and telling kids hurting physically and/or mentally from the abuse of their bullies or ignoring the bullies own issues, anymore. We're now at a place in time where victims often consider pulling a gun on themselves or others as a means to solve their problems. This is precisely why it should be your business as a parent or as an adult when someone comes to you with an issue with bullying because it might not be your problem today, but on down the road it very much may be and you could have had the opportunity to do something, but you chose to turn a blind eye.
We can't stop every bully every time doing everything, but if we have the opportunity to help a young person in need, to deal with a bully that may need their own help in their lives to turn things around, we need to make the effort to do so especially if you know what it's like to be bullied.
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