Bullying is something that's been around forever. Too often, people shrug it off as "a part of growing up". But the consequences can be a devastating experience for the recipient. I can remember back to my own childhood, there was a girl in my neighborhood that would often taunt me with cruel jokes. As kids, they would all just stand by and laugh it even got to the point where my own cousin bullied me along with her friends at school. They laughed at me, threatened to beat me up every time I told a teacher, the teacher and her assistant told me to go to the guidance counselor. No one really did anything so I had decided to take manners into my own hands.
One day towards the end of 6th grade I had finally got tired of people harassing me. I stood up for myself when a girl named Marisol started threatening me saying horrible things about my family. I had warned her “I don’t care if you bully me, just leave my family out of the situation.” I was hesitant and gloomy I didn’t know if I shouldn’t have been blinded by the issue or didn’t know if I just I should have walked away. I ended up trying to work things out.
Marisol then kept harassing me and began to argue with me “I don’t care what you say I can talk about your family if I want.” She than looked around to see who was surrounding us. I was frightened but it all went away when she then pushed me into the group of people.
I reacted quickly to my instincts and I automatically punched her back. I don’t remember fighting; I only remember people pulling me off of her. I didn’t know what else to do I felt guilty for hitting her but I don’t know what had come over me. I was never the violent person growing up; I was always the person who isolated themselves. For me it was a big step for me to defend myself. That day I had earned my respect from people but I realized it wasn’t the positive respect.
Weeks after Marisol and I had got into the confrontation the harassment began again the issue was it had gotten worse. People began to call me horrible words and began threatening me once more. They said things like “You will never be good enough.” “ Your ugly no one will ever like you.” “You’re such a nerd.” A group of girls that I didn’t even know repeatedly called me over and said “you’re so stupid.” “You’re emo.” I nervously replied to them I don’t care I know I’m not emo.” I began to isolate myself once more; I had felt as if I had no one at that point. It was the beginnings of 7th grade thing were the same this then led me into joining gangs. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd and it put me in many horrible situations I wish I could take back.
I then became a bully not hurt those who were harmless, but to harm those who had harmed me first. Even though they had only called me names I still had felt that they deserved “A taste of their own medicine”. I began to treat them the same way they had treated me. I didn’t know I was in the wrong. A teacher then approached me “If you treat them the same way it doesn’t make you any better.” She walked with me toward my class.
I sighed “But they deserve it after what they did.” The bell rang I sat in class thinking of what the teacher had said. I realized she was right but I still did not trust many people. I didn’t have many friends who were there for me. My 8th grade year I focused on myself and not on my surroundings. I was able to graduate middle school even though people still tried to put me down. I learned from my experience and I try my best not to put people down.
High school came along and I’m still trying to focus on myself and doing what’s best. Even though I may act disrespectful towards other I do it out of instinct because they had put me down in the past. I try not to let things get to me and if I had happened to hurt someone’s feeling I would not be ashamed to approach them and apologize. I know from experience now that no one is perfect and that everyone has gone through their own battles in this case I was the bullied and the bully.