Noah's story got me thinking about bullying today. Bullying is an issue that really strikes a chord in me. And one thing that bothers me is that I really think the word "bully" does a disservice to the issue because it fails to really capture the truth. In my opinion, bullying is actually abuse, plain and simple- verbal, emotional and physical abuse, and as a society I believe we should treat it as such.
MTV once did a series called If You Really Knew Me that followed high school students through a Challenge Day workshop meant to address how poorly they were treating one another. I have seen a couple of episodes and one of the first ones, Paris High School, has stayed in my mind ever since. To see these young people being so mean to one another, full of defense mechanisms and masked fear, come together on this day and realize (finally!) that they are not so different and that they need each other.....it brings me to tears every single time.
If you haven't seen it, here is a link. I love all the love they give each other at the end. Whether or not it stays that way, well...who really knows. But at least for a moment, they are there for each other and it's beautiful.
If You Really Knew Me - Paris High School
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