They Come In All Sizes...

It breaks my heart every time I learn of another young person who has sacrificed their time on earth due to a bully.

This week alone we have learned of two young men who took their own lives after being tormented for who they were. One was in eighth grade...his life was just beginning. Another was in college...the world was at his fingertips.

I think back in the day it was looked at as kids being kids and not something to engage the entire community. I mean, come 'on, how many of us watch "The Christmas Story" every year and not get that tightening of the abdomen when Scott Farkus and his toady Grover Dill come on the scene? "He had yellow eyes...really! Yellow eyes!" The parents seem none the wiser for what their children endured...or did they? Ralphie's Mom completely understood and did not throw him under the bus with his father when Ralphie finally had enough and beat Scott Farkus to a pulp amidst a plethora of profanity. I love this movie...

I think our parents looked at it like every kid has to deal with a bully sometime. But here is the sad fact: bullies grow up to be adults who still bully.

Kids, I'd love to tell you it gets better, but I restrict my lying for friends with bad haircuts. Unfortunately, bullying in the workplace has become so rampant there are lawsuits in the courts over it. I am sure the majority of adults can name a bully encountered in the workplace.

But here's the secret...whether a child, teen, or adult, they are a bully because they know - and I am being completely on the level here - that they will never know what you know, master the skills you have mastered, be who you are to become, love as you have loved, and most importantly, they are actually the MOST insecure people walking this earth. Truthfully, they don't hate you; they envy you.

And deep down, they know I'm right.