This month of October 2012 is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. I was not aware of that until I saw the Jennifer Livingston video . I find it hard to believe that people are not aware of bullying, since the media likes to beat us over the head with this issue. Everyone has an opinion on bullying, but not everyone has their own blog. At any rate the reason we all have an opinion is because each and every one of us have either been bullied or have been the bully. I myself have been on both sides of this stick, I take no pleasure in that claim.

     Some suggest that there is a need for anti-bullying legislation. I'm not sure about that myself. Just as one can not legislate morality, one can't make one person be nice to another no matter how many laws get passed. Some who are bullied want revenge, or some kind of payback. When nations do this, wars get started. Proverbs 15:1 tells us, depending on the translation, that "A gentle answer turns away wrath". This may be the case, but speaking from personal experience, finding that gentle answer is not always easy, and sometimes comes at a price.

     Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, but never tells us what to do after that cheek has been struck. Does Jesus want us to be bullied? By no means! Yet he let himself be bullied in Jerusalem-to the death! His last words were, depending on the biblical translation, "Forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing"

     As bad as I felt about those who bullied me, I feel much more worse about those that I've bullied back, or those that I've bullied who did not have it coming. Especially to those I've hurt and I never knew that I was hurting them if such a thing is possible. The worst part about this effort of mine to raise awareness of bullying is that the bullies won't read it, and those that do will think it applies to someone else, or they won't care that they are hurting someone. In the Livingston video, I have to wonder if the person she talks about thinks he was bullying her, or if he thought that he was giving her constructive criticism. She certainly didn't feel as though he did. I'd like to hear his side of the story before I  say anything about him.

 God be with you and do the best you can!