Be an upstander. Not a bystander.

People tend to tell us to just ignore those that bully us, to not let them get to us, but it's harder than that. Take it from someone who knows - I used to get bullied and made fun of A LOT when I was younger; from the 6th grade to the 9th grade - that's 4 years of non-stop bullying. They used to hit and throw things at me just because I was fat, ugly, shy, for being a tomboy, for being Portuguese, and for being rather slow when it comes to maths. It's pretty difficult to ignore someone whilst they're viciously smacking you at the back of your head with their school bag whilst simultaneously calling you fat over and over and over again! However, after a while I started to think to myself "I'm so tired of being judged. Calling me fat won't make you skinny, Calling me stupid won't make you smart, Calling me ugly won't make you pretty, don't cover up your flaws by pointing out mine. You know my name, not my story. Read my book before you judge my cover. I'm not asking you to understand where I'm coming from, I'm just asking that you respect the fact that I'm human, I'm not perfect and I make mistakes ... So what if I'm not perfect? Big flippin' deal. If I were perfect, I'd be boring! Why would I want to be like everyone else? God didn't make me in order to fit into this world, he made me to STAND OUT!"

To all you bully's out there, you need to know how your words and actions affect people. Those words or actions could lead to suicide. Please be more careful with what you say and do... because the ones you destroy today... may end up being the ones you'll miss tomorrow. Nobody knows the kid until their gone, then all of a sudden everyone was in their class, but by that time it's to late. When you constantly point out one's bad points, and flaws without ever praising them for their good. Is to crush their spirit to the point where they wonder if they ever had any good. Why bully? So that you can be popular, get more friends, just to be funny, cause it's not. Bullying can break people, Insulting someone everyday, does not make you a cool kid it makes you a Bully & It can hurt someone so deep that nothing can cure it. You might think your cool if you bully, but in reality it is just a pathetic excuse to pick on others in order to cover up your own problems in life. You should be more concerned about your character than your reputation, because your character is who you are, and your reputation is what others think you are. Could it be possible that when you use people to get ahead in this life, it often means you don't know how to love, you have no respect, and you lack true compassion, including for yourself.

And to those suffering from bullying - Life can only change if you take the initiative to make a change. Stop wishing, hoping and desiring for change without action! Step out on FAITH and make a change! If you want something better, you have to do something different! When you allow things to bother you, you are giving them power over you. Keep your positive attitude, and move forward! Don't change who you are just so others will accept you. Because eventually, you won't accept yourself. The best way for you to get "revenge" on people that hurt you, is to show them you are happy and that you can live without them. Be your own person. Move forward with your life not backwards. Ignore all those haters. They are only jealous of you because God gave you something special. Usually the ones that are the quickest at pointing out your flaws are only trying to hide their own, when they say those mean despicable things about you its not a reflection of your character, its a reflection of theirs. Bullies fear exposure of their inadequacy and incompetence... our presence, our popularity and our competence unknowingly and unwittingly fuels that fear. Michael J. Fox once said “One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered." Do not give into the hate, move forward and appreciate the fact that one day due to this moment of grief you will become stronger and grow in ways unimaginable, so much so that one day no one will be able bring you down, unless allow them to. Life is difficult, but without those difficulties, nothing would be easy and nothing would be exciting, and we'd have nothing to live for. Life is like a football match and we are the footballs. We shouldn't mind the kicks we'll receive from people - because without those kicks, we would never reach the goal!

And lastly, to those standing around watching or maybe even laughing, Theodore Roosevelt once said "Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right." Be an upstander not a bystander.

I just wish people could understand the impact of their words and actions. You should always be compassionate and always be kind; you never know what kind of pain someone may be enduring. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle, that's why you should always show love. You do not know what is going on in someone else's life unless you walk a mile in their shoes. For all you know - The girl you just called fat might actually be bulimic, that boy you called stupid might actually be dyslectic, and that little kid you tripped over in the hall way, is actually getting abused at home. If you don't know. DON'T JUDGE!!!

A Chinese proverb I once heard goes as follows- "A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark." Sometimes we overlook the fact that people have emotions, they have feelings, and no matter how strong they may seem, people can be broken. If you crumple up a piece of paper it ends up looking beat and battered, the result is unchangeable, you cannot get it back to the way it was before. That is what happens when you bully somebody. Bullying is something that can crush, it can ruin, it can tear, and it may not be fixable.