I've experienced my fair share of bullying and hateful words, especially in my first years of school. I still remember the first day, actually just the first 10 minutes, of 1st grade when I walked into the classroom with my awesome green folder in hand. I sat down at a table with three other kids, across from a boy who was staring straight at me with the meanest look a 6 year old can have on his face. I looked at him questioningly. "Your folder is stupid," he said decidedly, smiling slightly at the obvious hurt he had caused. I remember holding in the tears for 7 hours, and as soon as my mom picked me up, I burst into uncontrollable tears. Well, that was a good start to the school year.
Probably the worst time of mean words for me was the one year I had a verbally abusive gymnastics coach. The horrible things he'd say to me still sound crystal clear in my brain. One time, for example, I was having an bad day and did a mediocre leap on beam. He walked straight up to me and asked me if I knew who Marta Karolyi, one of the most famous gymnastics coaches in the world, was. Being a level 6 competitive gymnast, of course I knew who she was. He then went on to say, "Well, if she were here right now, she would say that was the worst split leap she has ever seen." I remember not even feeling too surprised at the time because these comments were so frequent. But it still hurt. Badly.
Then there have been the common mean statements, such as "You're not pretty", "You're stupid/dumb/an idiot", and my personal favorite, "You're a problem to your parents." That last one couldn't be further from the truth, but somehow it still makes me upset.
I guess I am just naturally a sensitive (I prefer "emotionally aware") person, but it's hard for a child who is so young to comprehend why people can be so mean to you for no reason. Most of the time, they have inherent problems, and that's something I've struggled with all my life to grasp. Ironically, it makes me nicer. I really can't say anything insulting to anyone, even people who I get really frustrated and angry with, because I don't want them to feel what I do whenever somebody says something horrible to me.
Where am I going with this? Ultimately, use a filter whenever you're irritated with somebody. You never know how sensitive someone is and how greatly it can affect them. Even those people who say that they don't care and hate just makes them stronger, etc., still feel the jab of an insensitive comment. After all, they're human too. It's funny, really, because in this world of biting unfairness, shouldn't we all be trying to build each other up rather than cutting each other down?
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