I am a victim of bullying.

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I was reading a story tonight about another young man robbed of his future because of bullying, he killed himself as a result of the relentless torture he has endured. In seventh grade one of the students in my homeroom class was bullied pretty heard, compounded by some depression, Chad, his name was Chad, chose to kill himself, and that has always affected me.  I was bullied from 7th – 9th grade by a student and in 9th grade I took care of it; the bullying ended, bullying rarely ends this way.

My heart brakes, especially when people continue to say things about the bullied such as he/she needs to toughen up, it builds character, endurance and strength... or the bullied were just a pussy cat.  That is an awful cop out. We ARE created equal in value and purpose to our father in heaven, Matthew 25:40 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. But we are all unequal in strength, circumstances, privilege, culture, health, wealth, and so on.

I have raised my children never to engage in, tolerate, or condone any bullying, in fact, going as far as telling them that I would rather be called to the principal’s office or the police station because you stood up for yourself or someone else, than to allow, or witness bullying go unchecked without intervening.

I do not own this picture

There may be two kinds of reactions from my post, those that think I am a pussy cat and completely disagree with me, and those who do agree with me and stand against bullying. If you are a bully or have been in the past get on your knees and pray for humility and forgiveness. If you are a victim get on your knees and pray for strength and courage, the bullied and the bully, are both loved by our Father in Heaven.

For nearly 20 years I worked as an EMT and I saw the horrifying results of bullying and the toll it takes on the human spirit. Bullying often leads to more bullying, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, depression and the worst of all suicide. All of which wreaks havoc on the soul, and family.

I too am a victim of every adolescent and teenager (and even adults) that suffered from bullying, who I cared for in my capacity as an emergency service provider. As a first-hand witness of children killing themselves, by hangings, drug overdoses, self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and so on; I can assure you that there is always, ALWAY left in the wake of the victims--a trail of broken hearts, what-ifs, ands, and buts.

That is my soap box for the night, please love your children and talk to them, Bullying is a learned behavior, discourage it, and count it as a disgraceful and despicable sin, never excused or condoned.

BYU legend and NBA athlete Jimmer Fredette is leading a valiant fight and doing some good in the fight against bullying. Please check out his facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/fredettefamilyfoundation/?fref=nf

Goodnight,