Walking through the halls there is someone in the dark. Hiding from others in fear of the reaction. Racing to classes as if 5 minutes weren’t enough time. Wondering what other rumors are going to be said. Wondering if not showing up at all would be better. Wishing they could understand why them. What did they do wrong?

These are the shoes that victims walk in. These shoes keep them tied down in fear and regret. It brings satisfaction to those who cause it and causes others around to see weakness when they pass you in the hall. The life of a victim is not one that is chosen, but it is one that is allowed.

Rather than seeing the beauty in life, all that is seen is the darkness. Having been a victim, there is a point where you have to make a choice on whether or not it’s worth going through the pain anymore. To get to the point is hard enough as it is, but when reaching this point, it takes more than standing up, it takes self-awareness and personal growth.

Rather than looking at it from the perspective of the victim, I had to look at it from the perspective of the bully. What did I have that they desperately wanted to take away? What was it that urged them to keep tempting me in wanting a reaction?

I searched for the answer thinking that there was one. At the end of the search, it came down to not knowing the answer, but knowing how I felt about it. Rather than feeling bad for myself, I began feeling bad for them. To want to cause someone pain willingly either with a motive or not, is what I had to realize. When I realized this, I was no longer the victim. They were the victim of themselves. 

The only person standing in your way is yourself. Whether or not you give that power to someone else, is entirely up to you.

Anti-bullying Awareness goes on through the entire month of October! Today specifically iUniversity prep joined stomp out
bullying (the number one anti-bullying organization) and wore blue. Stomp Out Bullying main goal is to reduce bullying both in  physical environments and virtual ones.  They also focus on what you can do as parents and teens to help your own child be safe online. For more information, you can go to stompoutbullying.org.