Kindness

Bullying is a problem that perpetuates social issues beyond today’s victim. An experience like bullying leaves scars behind as a reminder of the ordeal. Unlike physical scars, the emotional scars inflicted by bullying can be contagious. They colour your interpretations, and influence your reactions. Emotional scars become an integral part of how you interact with the world. We are, after all, the sum of our experiences.

Our approach to bullying tends to be very reactionary. Schools have a “zero tolerance” approach to bullying that focuses on punishment but does little to address prevention. I think that society tends to look at bullying as something that has been around since the dawn of time and therefore it will be here until the end of time. What if we were to proactively address the problem of bullying and concentrate on prevention? What if we shifted our focus from eliminating bullying to promoting kindness? Would not the positive action of kindness help eliminate bullying?

You cannot eliminate bullying until you eliminate the bullies. Bullies come by their tendencies honestly. They are not born that way, they become that way through the sum of their experiences. Most bullies are victims themselves who have come to practice what they have learned. Emotional scars have a way of making it difficult to see the world through the eyes of another. A little mindful kindness goes a long way toward developing empathy. The ripples created by an act of kindness can develop into a wave of positive change.

It all begins with a single, mindful act.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” - Leo Buscaglia (1824 - 1998)