Bully Nation

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  If you have been getting threats day after day, night after night because of the way you look, sound, act, where you came from, what you believe,what your sexual preference is, etc, that gun in your hand, that noose hanging overhead, or that cup of poison looks mighty tempting right now, doesn't it?  Before you go that far, keep reading.

We are all bullies.  It's been that way since the dawn of humanity.  Because of that, wars have been fought.  Kings, queens and dictators have come and gone.  Races, sexes and nationalities have been enslaved, subjugated and discriminated against.  Millions have died because of bullying.

In the modern world, bullying isn't restricted to schoolyards and cyberspace  You don't even have to be a child.  Bullying happens in the workplace, corporate boardrooms, sports locker rooms and inside the halls of Congress.  It happens at home:  Parents bully their kids.  Kids bully their parents.  Men rape, beat--and even murder--their women.  It also happens on TV, in the movies and in video games.  College campuses call it 'hazing'.  In the mean streets of the big city, people aren't safe from bullying even inside their homes.

If you choose to be in the military, you are bullied from the moment your drill instructor starts yelling at you to the moment they put a rifle in your hand and tell you who to kill.  If you're part of the police department, that "protect and serve" stuff goes out the window the moment they give you your badge.

In church, preachers bully their flock with what they say is the word of God.  They also bully young people into committing acts the Bible says you shouldn't do.  Certain religions bully the female population into covering themselves and accepting the consequences of unmarried sex.

Bullying also happens when terrorists bomb an airplane or a marathon, and when governments spy on and intimidate its own citizens--often in reaction to what terrorists do.

This supposed 'epidemic' of bullying has led to calls for new laws on the state and federal levels to make it illegal.  Why?  Any proposed law would be as effective as the ones that tell you not to rob a bank, steal other people's property, or shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater.  Bullies don't care about the law.  They just hire bullies of their own to represent them in court.  After they're tried and convicted (in most cases), they're sent to prison.  No shortage of bullies there.

If, by now, you've decided against using that gun, drinking the poison or jumping off the bridge and decided instead to stand up to the bullies in your life, good for you.  Just remember that retaliation makes you just as much a bully as everyone else.  Only you know if it is really worth it.

It's a vicious circle, isn't it?