[Leo656]

I agree people should, in theory, treat each other better. It's a wonderful concept and Lord knows it's never, ever been tried before. Matter of fact, last time anyone suggested it, I heard he ended up with a bad case of splinters, vertigo, and heat stroke. Luckily, he got better in about three days, or so goes the rumor.

Anyway. Sure. Let's treat each other better. I agree, that's a great idea and it would be a good start.

That said, I have little to no faith in mankind's ability to accomplish this.

Furthermore, as someone who was excessively, relentlessly bullied between Grades K-8, suspended a whole half dozen times for the DOZENS of fistfights I got into on school property during those years, to say NOTHING of the times I told any one of several teachers to "F*ck off" in front of students and faculty, went home and got my ass kicked by my parents half the week, and had no electricity half the goddamn time, but yet, never ONCE thought of picking up a gun - of which there were several in my home - and aiming it at another human being in an attempt to somehow "validate my feelings", here's a little "Survival Skill" I learned.

Ready?

You toughen up. You roll. You duck. You fight back (when you know you can win). You pick your battles wisely. You find inner strength, then temper it. You remind yourself that you're a better human being than the people trying to drag you down. You develop principles and stick to them. You develop integrity. You remind yourself that this stage of your life isn't going to be forever, and one day you'll be able to change your situation. You self-improve. You lead by example. You find a way to love yourself, in spite of what others think, because they don't matter and their words can't hurt you. You surround yourself with like-minded people and support each other. You don't cave in to peer pressure. You don't associate with the dregs and lowlifes of society. You remind yourself that life is about reacting to things, because you can't control them, and that everything - EVERYTHING - in life is about choices, and that you, yourself, can choose to be a hero, a villain, a victim, or a warrior, but YOU define it. Nobody else. They WILL try. But they can't. Life WILL abuse you, people will treat you unfair, but you're the one who decides whether you get back up or lay on the ground, turn the other cheek or pick up a loaded gun.

It's ALL. On. YOU.

You are "God" of your own universe. You don't create the scenario but you do decide the path. Look yourself in the eye, every day, and remind yourself that you're the star of the show. What's the role? Hero or Villain, Warrior or Victim? You're making it happen, Right Now. And if you're not happy with the way you're playing it then do it better.

Focus. Clarity. Inner Strength and Iron Will. You're better than them. Okay? If you don't believe it, then none of it works. But it does work. And if you're NOT better than them then make yourself better than them.

ALL we leave behind is our legacy. Nobody WANTS to be remembered as someone life kicked around until they broke, but too many people resign themselves to that role. Horse sh*t. Don't do it. Life's too short to be miserable, neurotic, and crippled by self-doubt. There's nothing wrong with asking for help along the way - it's really quite necessary - but in the end, ain't nobody gonna make sh*t better for you but You.

There is NO LAW that says you can't look yourself in the mirror every day, and say, "Jesus, this world is lucky to have me in it. I'm doing them a favor just by showing up." And if they don't like it, then f*ck 'em. Who are you doing this for, anyway? They don't go in the box with you when they put you in the ground. A little narcissism and self-interest is healthy, don't believe anyone who says otherwise.

You gotta Fake It 'Til You Make It, sometimes. Most times, probably. But you gotta do it. You gotta remind yourself, every day, that they suck and you rule, and that all the other sh*t's temporary anyway.

And then, one day, you graduate, and it all pays off, because you are never gonna see any of those people again, ever. They're gonna get old, fat, divorced, addicted, arrested, and even stupider than they were in school, because they're Life Losers, and you're gonna look like a Winner because you survived everything and became a better, stronger person for it, while their "glory days" were giving kids wedgies and puking all over the 50 yard line.

Bullying sucks, "mean" people suck, all of that sucks. But here's the thing: If you can't handle being teased, or picked on, or rejected, or god forbid even smacked around, well... you ain't gonna survive Life for very long.

But no matter HOW bad life kicks you around, you are NOT justified in hurting other people over it. You never, ever "earn" that. There is NO amount of "Bullying" that justifies what some of these kids are doing, on account of "Their feelings were hurt" or "They were mistreated." That is the weakest, lamest, most pussified sh*t I have ever heard. But see, they're pussies, so yeah. "I didn't get my way. People picked on me. Now I gotta hurt someone. That'll make me the good guy!" Big, BIG pussy.

You're gonna get sh*t on. You're gonna get bullied. You're gonna feel like God Himself decided to make you his own personal punching bag. I PROMISE, all of this is going to happen to everyone. It's no reason to turn into a victim OR a bully. DEFINITELY not a murderer.

Less bullies? "Be nicer"? Sure. I'll sign that. Ain't happening, though. Self-improvement? Personal responsibility? Those are things we can actually teach, accomplish, and reinforce, even if it's only within ourselves individually.

That's how you Survive.

I did. By high school, all those kids I got in all those fights with were my friends, once we matured and realized all that sh*t was stupid. Those same kids that used to try and beat me up were spotting me on the bench and lining up to sign my yearbook. I was voted for all kinds of stuff in the Senior yearbook. I was in a boys' pageant my Senior Year and was one of the finalists. Upon graduating, I received a special certificate and a $50 grant check for "Overcoming Adversity and Determination To Succeed".

8 years getting sh*t on, plus 4 more being one of the most popular kids in school. I'll take it. Could'a gone another way. I could'a just picked up my Dad's gun when I had a bad day, like some'a these twats. It's not that I haven't been there. It's BECAUSE I've been there that I know they're stupid, and fragile. Nobody forced them into anything; they did it to themselves, because they didn't believe in or see anything better for themselves. They gave up. They quit. You know what happens when you quit? You LOSE.

They CHOSE to be victims, and then they CHOSE to use that idea of "victimhood" to justify robbing innocent people of their lives. It's shameful and disgusting.

I took my shots. By rights, I should not be here. I could've/should've been a statistic. I'm not magical; I simply refuse to buy into that victim sh*t.

Empathy's great. We should all be kinder, I agree. When that happens, and we all get a pet unicorn to go with it, I'll be the first one to celebrate. Because I really, REALLY want a unicorn. Maybe more than all the other stuff.

Until then... Toughen Up. It really AIN'T so f*cking bad. It's that simple.