In our last post, friends, we portrayed bullying and its dangerous effects through a story. The story also showed that bullying can be overcome through love and support from peers and superiors.
We now proceed to expose bullying for what it truly is; to enlighten you on the various forms bullying can take – so you will be empowered to identify and stand up against it, no matter how subtle.
Bullying is a corrupted form of social interaction – in which one human being treats another with disdain, lacking the mutual love and respect that God ordained us humans to relate with.
A bully sees others as inferior and himself/herself as superior. A bully acts out of a wicked desire to hurt and harm another person, or out of desire for revenge, or simply to ‘feel powerful’ or ‘in control.’ Bullying is quite evil because it does not regard the feelings or interests of its object.
Bullying could take any of the following forms:
Physical bullying – This involves the use of physical force to do bodily harm to another (helpless) person, incite fear, or deprive them of their rightful due. Usually, the ‘big people’ bully those that are small-in-stature, but anyone, regardless of size, can be a physical bully. It is sometimes rampant in boarding schools for seniors to bully, intimidate and deprive juniors of their belongings or food serving.
Physical harm done to a boy by a gang of bullies.
Friend, resolve never to bully someone simply because you are the senior or bigger person. God frowns against oppression and will judge every man for his actions.
Verbal bullying – words sometimes cut sharper and deeper than physical weapons or force. Verbal bullying affects one’s mind and soul – so acts like taunting, calling people names, teasing and threats are very bad. Remember that in the story we shared in the previous article, the unkind words said to Bunmi affected her mind, her focus, and her self-esteem. Her mind was so disturbed that she could not focus academically. Verbal bullying made her fearful and timid, until she was helped to overcome.
Therefore, it is good that you mind the words you say to others – whether your mates, seniors or juniors. For believers in Christ; children of God, our words must be seasoned with salt, helpful and not harmful to all who hear us.
Desire and foster healthy, helpful and supportive oral communication among your peers
Social/relational bullying: This, surprisingly, is rampant in secondary schools. People, out of envy, jealousy or competition, attempt to damage the reputation of others. Spreading rumours, forming cliques to exclude a person, manipulating friends to turn against another person, and so on, are various examples of social bullying.
Cyberbullying: The advent of the internet has had its positive impact. However, just like in physical interactions, humans can perpetrate unkind, unloving behaviour towards others online. The problem is not the Internet itself, but in humans missing the tool. Cyberbullying may be in the form of sharing humiliating content including comments on a post, impersonation, sending hurtful messages, and so on.
It is important to remember that there is a real person behind every social media account you interact with, and so you owe them the same empathy, kindness as you do in person.
If you are being bullied, speak up. If you are engaged in bullying, please desist from it. Look to God for strength to stop completely, because it hurts others.
As we round off this series, the Bible says to believers: “In your relationships, put on love, which is the bond of perfectness” (Col. 3:14, paraphrased).
Breaking the cycle of bullying is possible. Watch out for our next article, that will take you through how to break the cycle of bullying, this weekend!
A very informative article.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad that bullying has become the order of the day even in primary school and amongst children.
The society in its hostility, is unknowingly teaching people to become hostile to each other.