Some are crying in silence. Some are already dying because of discrimination, intimidation and fear. They may not tell you but they need help. Have you noticed how her behavior changes from being the happy girl to the girl who now avoids almost everybody? Can you see how she slowly detach herself from the gadgets and devices that she used to hold in her hands and bring wherever she goes? Can you see the pain through her eyes? She might be being bullied. Cyberbullied. With the use of technology, people took away her happiness and let her live in a world full of fear and darkness. When will cyberbullying end? Don’t you know it has bad impacts on the person’s life?
Bullying has different forms and can happen to everyone. Rich or poor, fat or thin, young or old. Anybody can be bullied. No matter where you are or where you’re from, you will be prone to bullying. And in the year 2013, figures showed that Australia ranked first in the world for cyberbullying. I know you heard about cyberbullying before. But in case you want to know more about it, cyberbullying occurs once a person is harassed, intimidated or discriminated with the use of technology. This may include posting hurtful messages, images, or videos online, sending abusive texts and messages, creating fake social media accounts in order to hurt others, nasty online gossips or chats and any form of digital communication which can hurt other people’s feelings. For the bullies, doing this may be fun. But, for the one being bullied, it’s something that causes her to lose her confidence and trust to herself. It does not only cause sadness, fear and shame. There’s more to that.
Researches have shown that bullying usually leads to depression, anxiety and the worst is self-harm and suicidal tendency. They can no longer bear the pain. No one’s there to listen and to help them. Thus, for the bullied, inflicting pain to themselves and trying to end their life may solve all the pain that they feel. Can you see the cuts in her arms? The marks of dried bloods? Don’t laugh or judge her. You don’t know what she’s going through. She tried to kill herself. Laughing and judging her will make it hard for her to recover from the pain. Lucky are those who are saved and can fully recover from a devastating suicide attempt. But, how about those people who were not saved. They weren’t able to live their life to the fullest. And the worst is, they died in pain and sadness.
In silence there is pain. In every “I’m Okay,” there is a voice saying “I need your help. Someone’s stealing my happiness by sending abusive messages and shaming me.” Every word might hurt and might change someone’s life. Next time, before you laugh because someone’s fat or is not as beautiful as you, think twice, or even thrice. A simple word might have a big impact on someone else’s life. Stop Cyberbullying and other forms of bullying. Save someone’s life.
