Take A Stand #10

Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke. (Disreali, Benjamin)

We've all been there at one point in our lives. A time where we have felt scared, small, defeated; as if no one cares. The many scars that these traumatic events leave. Some are just superficial, that heals and goes away with time, but, there are those scars that will leave lasting impressions and will never truly go away. The scariest part of bullying is no one says anything about it. If we want to, we're threaten that worse things could happen. When will we learn that enough is enough? What does it take? An injury? A trip to the hospital? Your grave? We need to learn that the first time should be the last time.

Towards the middle of eighth grade I started to be bullied. At first it was small things, such as like punching me in the arm and being insulted by her. It really didn't bother me because I'm one of those people who don't let people get under their skin. I had already realized that not everyone in life is going to like you, so I didn't let it affect me. I also didn't let it bother me because that was my friend's friend and I didn't want to offend her by saying I didn't like her friend, so I let it pass. I took the high road and made sure that she knew I was there for my friends and she didn't have to like me, but just tolerate me.

Towards the last couple of months eighth grade she started making sure I knew how much she didn't like me. One day she came up behind me and hit me in the back of the head. At first I was in awe, because that had really hurt. She started laughing so I didn't understand if she was trying to pick a fight or think of it as a joke. Since she didn't seem like she was going to do anything else, I let it slide. Since I was still trying to be the bigger person, I felt like she was not a major threat and she was trying to get a rise out of me. That was my first mistake.

Then towards the last month of school, she started to become even more aggravated because I would not respond to her actions. So since they say words are like daggers she started using my words against me. She told one of my oldest friends that I had been saying nasty things about her behind her back. That friend became angry with me and when I had asked her what it was I said she told me. I then realized that the bully had took my words and twisted the statement. I became mad with both the bully for saying that, but also my friend seeing as she believed this person more than me. I tried telling my friend that what I said was something totally different and that I hadn't said those hurtful words. Then all of sudden my friends started to ignore me and give me dirty looks. I honestly didn't know what to do, so I hung around my other friends until this situation blew over. That was mistake number two.

One day my friends started to get super mad at me. I had to ask other people why they were mad and they told me it was because I said "again" some mean, nasty things again. I knew then that the girl really didn't like me and she was trying to isolate me from my long time friends. That day at lunch it was made clear that I should just stay clear of that bully until I got a handle on things. I hung out with friends who didn't believe those things, seeing as they didn't trust the bully. But the bully wouldn't let it go. Supposedly there was a rumor going around that, that girl was going to get into a fight with me. At first I thought that was outrageous, seeing as I hadn't done anything wrong. Second she was going to ruin my opportunities of going on a field trip and going to the dance for the end of the year, because if we got into any trouble, whether we started or not, then we would not get to do anything.

Then towards the end of lunch, I saw that she was there waiting at the door of my class. I was so scared because, not only have I never been in a fight, I didn't want to. So I went in through another door, because I had class in the gym and there were two entrances, by then I was crying. As I walked through the door there stood two of my teachers and the campus police officer. They had asked me why I was crying and I realized at that point that the bully had took it too far and I would not let her threaten me. I told them all about what had happened, with my friends by my side to back me up. The police officer said that he understood what was going on and would make sure that nothing would happen and that he would try to prevent the situation.

Once that happened I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my chest. I knew there were still problems that I had to deal with, but in that moment I felt like I was on top of the world. I didn't succumb to violence, but instead told a trusted adult about the problem. I realized that, that was all it took and that words are stronger than actions.

Is That Your True Self #8

In the story The Necklace the character is fantasized with the conception of how society perceives you based on your social class. She strongly believes that money buys you everything and without money you can't live your life to the fullest. She's convinced that her life is a disaster simply because she has no money. She's not living the life she could be if she had simply married a rich man. When her husband is invited to a fancy dinner she's more concerned about what people will say since she knows that she can't afford the fanciest clothes. Then since you can't complete an outfit without accessories she borrows a necklace that she ends up losing.

As a teenager in the 21st Century we are so hung tightly to each other’s opinions of how people perceive us. We are obsessed with the newest trends, clothes, makeup, hairstyles and hair colors. It doesn’t even stop there. We read and watch t.v. which only promotes what a “perfect girl” looks like, which in turn gives us low-self esteem, body and weight issues, and attempts to diet. Do we care? No, not at all. We will still buy all of that useless junk so that we can be “happy” and be just like any one else.

The truth is each and every single one of us is not alike. We come in all different shapes and sizes. Have different hair and eye color. We’re rich and poor and everything else in between. That is what truly makes everyone unique, but we wouldn’t know it if it hit us in our faces at 500 mph. Instead we hid behind our insecurities. We cover it with a bunch of makeup and uncomfortable clothes and let that mask the true beauty. Unlike the woman in the story we have the choice to break out of the façade and become brave, fearless person that is within us all. Will that ever happen? Probably not everyone at one but as an individual that stands as a statement all on its own. We have the choice to be an individual. A leader and not a follower. When that happens we will become our own person. That becomes the true question in this life long battle of standing by ourselves. Don’t be afraid to be alone because soon others will join you when they see your courage.

When the woman lost that necklace she had to step up and take the responsibility of replacing it. The cost you ask? 10 years of hard indebted labor to pay for it back. The lesson learned was you should show people the real you and not some fantasized version of you. Guess what? It’s what on the inside that counts, not the outside. No matter what anyone tells you.

An Cosuming Emotion, Envy #7

"Jealousy is simply and clearly the fear that you do not have value. Jealousy scans for evidence to prove the point - that others will be preferred and rewarded more than you. There is only one alternative - self-value. If you cannot love yourself, you will not believe that you are loved. You will always think it's a mistake or luck. Take your eyes off others and turn the scanner within. Find the seeds of your jealousy, clear the old voices and experiences. Put all the energy into building your personal and emotional security. Then you will be the one others envy, and you can remember the pain and reach out to them. (Jennifer James)"


Jealousy is a powerful emotion, that when used, can consume your whole personality. You become an envious person, which makes you become someone you're not. You lust after something you can't have or something that you want just because someone else has it.

Jealousy is also a controlling emotion. It makes you feel insecure, or fearful, or have anxiety over something so meaningless at times. The truth of the matter is we sometimes don't realize that we are jealous. I think that there are two types of jealousy. One is a physical jealousy, which can roll off of you in green, lusty waves. It's more obvious when you start to express this emotion out loud to others' around you. This type of jealousy is similar to greed. Always wanting more, even when it's not in your possible reach at times. The second type of jealousy is one that is sometimes hard to see. That one is the jealousy that is formed in the mind. At times it's just a minor thought in your head. It's still there. For example, you see someone has a brand new phone. You start to think "Oh. I wish my parents would buy me a new phone." Those thoughts can be brief, but they're still a form of jealousy.

Jealousy can be very unnecessary at times. We as people are such ungrateful human beings, who don't know what we have until it's gone. We let this prevailing emotion consume us, which makes us past on the great and bountiful opportunities that we do have in life. Do we care? Who knows. Sometimes we may not even realize what we could of had.

When jealosy starts to take over we should ask ourselves why. Why do I feel this way? Is there something more I want? Do I really want that, or is something just missing from my life? If more people asked these questions then there would be less crimes and could be the answer to the question of world peace.

In return jealousy can give you nothing. Well, I mean it can give you a greedy and lusty feeling the overpowers you, with no control of how you feel and act. If we truly want something we should do it for ourselves and not because of someone else. It's like President Obama said "Be proud of friends' successes. Ask "What are they doing right?"" Don't make people feel bad because they have something you don't. It's not right and it's not fair when we do it.