Bombarding Bullyism … (06/07/15)
“I will love myself despite the ease with which I lean towards the opposite … Standing up for yourself doesn’t have to mean embracing violence.” ~ Shane Koyczan
Almost every single one of us intensely dislikes someone or some group of someones; almost every single one of us has enemies we wish we could eradicate from our lives without consequence; almost every single one of us wishes we could remove “them” from our world — and as such every single one of us is either a bully or a bully-wannabe.
Yep, almost everyone I know has it in for somebody — Maybe it’s a boss for being so mean, or maybe it’s a co-worker for being such a liar … Maybe it’s men for being so abusive, or maybe it’s women for being so manipulative … Maybe it’s Jews for being so powerful, or maybe it’s Buddhists for being so darn passive … Maybe it’s politicians for being so corrupt, or maybe it’s preachers for being so condemning … Maybe it’s Blacks for being such “thugs”, or maybe it’s Whites for being such racists … Maybe its gays & lesbians & transgenders for being so “queer”, or maybe it’s heterosexuals for being so — well, straight … Maybe it’s those “damn Republicans” for so obviously not caring about the poor, or maybe it’s those “damn Democrats” for merely pretending to care about them … Maybe it’s the 20,000 ISIS terrorists for giving in to hate (or the 1.6 billion peace-loving Muslims for not trying hard enough to stop them), or maybe it’s the 2000 U.S. drone pilots who are manufacturing fresh terrorists every day.
It’s true, there are a lot of different beliefs & cultures & traditions out there — a lot of people out there with values that directly contradict our own who are making choices that cause us pain or discomfort; actions that make us seethe & want to boil over into acts of “justified” bullying.
Fair enough … Seethe if you must and boil over into aggression & hatred if you wish. Just know this, my Friends: until you recognize your own inner bully and set him aside — until you recognize your own inner bigot and put her gently yet firmly in the corner for “time out”, you will suffer greatly — and you will cause great suffering for others while you do so.
And the only Way out of this vile & rancid maze of distrust & denigration is to do the very opposite of what your discomfort whispers — to do the very opposite of what your fear moans & wails — to do the very opposite of what your anger shouts & summons … Namely, you must have the guts to Love those who you hate — You must have the guts to compliment those you would rather condemn; you must have the guts to Care for those you would rather kill; you must have the guts to serve those you would rather extinguish; and you must have the guts to be Kind to those you would rather bully.
In essence, you must choose to LOVE others despite the ease with which you lean towards the opposite … because standing up for your True Self means standing up for the True Selves of your enemies; because standing up for your True Self means peacefully embracing Peace.
Amen … Let it be so.
“‘You should be nicer to him,’ a schoolmate had once said to me of some awfully ill-favored boy. ‘He has no friends.’ This, I realized with a pang of pity that I can still remember, was only true as long as everybody agreed to it.” ~ Christopher Hitchens
P.S. All forms of aggression entrench aggression … All forms of violence intensify violence … All forms of bullying create bullies.
Take a long hard look in the mirror to See your SELF … Take a long hard look at your mind to find your fears … Take a long hard look at your fears to find the victims of your bigotries … Take a long hard look at your victims to See them anew … and then act accordingly.
The solution to fire is water … The solution to ignorance is knowledge … The solution to arrogance is humility … The solution to violence is peace … The solution to hatred bis Love (the verb) … The solution to bullying is Kindness (given especially TO THE BULLIES).