You thought you were strong, you thought that you could handle the battle. Each bullet you had was courage, each spear good will. You thought you would win, leave victorious, walk out with a smile; but you never know how large a war was until you count the losses.
Bullying has become an undeniable issue the world needs to combat more than ever, yet we still believe that is a nonexistent struggle. The preliminary fires are shot; the name-calling, the teasing, the pointing and laughing. Your breastplate of bravery takes the shock, and you march on, feeling a little shaken, but still with a goal. The other side recruits more people who you thought were on yours, and as you look around, the ones you thought would stand up for you have left. The harsh words pierce through your armor, biting and nipping at you, until it extrapolates into a full scale battle-- them against you. No one is on your side now, and your armor of justice has been stripped off. Your helmet of knowledge is shot down, affecting your ability to think. You've lost your bullets and spears now, and you're standing defenseless, almost planning your death day. You feel weak and numb, and call for help, but your pleas go unheard. The people you thought you could trust-- parents, mentors, teachers, wave it off and silently cheer the other side on. Each picture, text, kick, punch, pitches in to your demise. You shrivel up under the heat of oppression, and the bullets keep firing. You didn't do anything wrong, yet what did you do to deserve this? You see the blood flowing out now, flooding the battlefield you thought was a safe place to be. You've bended and you're reaching your breaking point now, and every day you go back to fight this constant struggle. How can you fight a war you know you're going to lose? You drag on for months, trying not to let it consume you, but it does. The final blow pierces your heart and you collapse. No one seems to notice.
According to a 2014 UCLA Study on Psychology, over 75% of teens in the US alone have experienced some type of bullying at school. Since when has a safe learning environment turned into a place of hatred and fear? These teens are fighting a battle they never signed up for, they are the victims of their own war every day. Bully victims are between 4 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, Yale University states. And to go further, a quarter of a million kids stay home from school every day from fear of bullying. Ceasefire attempts never set foot, and the weapons are relentless. The battle gear we want our future generations to have-- justice, goodwill, knowledge, and courage, have been snatched from these victims and yet we blame them for taking it seriously. But for how long can we ignore this war?
These innocent people need our help, and they need it now, America. Denial or ignorance only worsens the issue at hand, and we can't afford it at this point. These teens had successful lives ahead of them-- future Steve Jobs and Hillary Clintons. They cut their lives short when the war wouldn't end, and when their own weapons of respect and dignity were taken from them. For far too long, the numbers have been escalating, and we are sitting here shrugging it off and telling people to get over it. Light the way for those in the dark, speak up for those who have been silenced, and fight the war for those who feel like they've lost.
Bullying has become an undeniable issue the world needs to combat more than ever, yet we still believe that is a nonexistent struggle. The preliminary fires are shot; the name-calling, the teasing, the pointing and laughing. Your breastplate of bravery takes the shock, and you march on, feeling a little shaken, but still with a goal. The other side recruits more people who you thought were on yours, and as you look around, the ones you thought would stand up for you have left. The harsh words pierce through your armor, biting and nipping at you, until it extrapolates into a full scale battle-- them against you. No one is on your side now, and your armor of justice has been stripped off. Your helmet of knowledge is shot down, affecting your ability to think. You've lost your bullets and spears now, and you're standing defenseless, almost planning your death day. You feel weak and numb, and call for help, but your pleas go unheard. The people you thought you could trust-- parents, mentors, teachers, wave it off and silently cheer the other side on. Each picture, text, kick, punch, pitches in to your demise. You shrivel up under the heat of oppression, and the bullets keep firing. You didn't do anything wrong, yet what did you do to deserve this? You see the blood flowing out now, flooding the battlefield you thought was a safe place to be. You've bended and you're reaching your breaking point now, and every day you go back to fight this constant struggle. How can you fight a war you know you're going to lose? You drag on for months, trying not to let it consume you, but it does. The final blow pierces your heart and you collapse. No one seems to notice.
According to a 2014 UCLA Study on Psychology, over 75% of teens in the US alone have experienced some type of bullying at school. Since when has a safe learning environment turned into a place of hatred and fear? These teens are fighting a battle they never signed up for, they are the victims of their own war every day. Bully victims are between 4 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, Yale University states. And to go further, a quarter of a million kids stay home from school every day from fear of bullying. Ceasefire attempts never set foot, and the weapons are relentless. The battle gear we want our future generations to have-- justice, goodwill, knowledge, and courage, have been snatched from these victims and yet we blame them for taking it seriously. But for how long can we ignore this war?
These innocent people need our help, and they need it now, America. Denial or ignorance only worsens the issue at hand, and we can't afford it at this point. These teens had successful lives ahead of them-- future Steve Jobs and Hillary Clintons. They cut their lives short when the war wouldn't end, and when their own weapons of respect and dignity were taken from them. For far too long, the numbers have been escalating, and we are sitting here shrugging it off and telling people to get over it. Light the way for those in the dark, speak up for those who have been silenced, and fight the war for those who feel like they've lost.
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