Sunday Real Talk

Bullying Should Never Be Normal

There is something that has been weighing heavily on my heart.

Bullying.

Not just in schools. Everywhere.

We see it in families. We see it in schools. We see it in workplaces. We see it in sports. We see it on social media. We even see it from people in positions of influence.

Somewhere along the way, it feels like we accepted bullying as just another part of life.

We shouldn’t have.

What troubles me most isn’t just the cruel words or the public humiliation. It’s the emotional damage that follows. Every day, there are children, teenagers, and adults who feel isolated, hopeless, and defeated because of how they’ve been treated. Some lose confidence. Some lose relationships. Some lose their desire to keep trying. And tragically, some lose their lives.

This isn’t just a school problem anymore.

It’s a people problem.

I keep asking myself…

Why are people so mean?

Where is all of this anger coming from?

Why do we find entertainment in someone else’s pain?

Why has kindness become so difficult for some people?

I don’t believe there is one simple answer. Hurt people sometimes hurt people. Fear, insecurity, jealousy, anger, prejudice, the desire for attention, and the distance that social media creates can all play a role.

But understanding where it comes from should never become an excuse for allowing it to continue.

As I sat quietly this morning, I found myself asking questions that I hope all of us will ask ourselves.

• Is this happening to me?
• Am I doing this to someone else?
• Do I know someone who is being bullied?
• Why don’t I speak up?
• What can I do to help stop this epidemic?

Those aren’t easy questions.

But they’re important ones.

Kindness should never be mistaken for weakness.

Respect should never go out of style.

Bullying—whether it happens in a classroom, a home, an office, on a playing field, online, or in public life—is not something we should accept as normal.

We live in a loud world.

Every day we’re surrounded by opinions, arguments, outrage, and negativity. But we still have a choice. We get to decide what we contribute to that noise. We get to decide how we treat the people around us.

One thing I’ve learned is that whatever we give our attention to has a way of growing.

When we feed anger, it spreads.

When we feed division, it grows.

When we reward cruelty with likes, shares, and applause, we shouldn’t be surprised when it becomes more common.

But the same is true of kindness.

Respect grows.

Compassion grows.

Encouragement grows.

The world doesn’t need more people trying to win arguments.

It needs more people willing to protect one another.

Maybe the real question isn’t, “What’s wrong with them?”

Maybe it’s…

“What kind of example am I setting?”

If each of us became just a little more aware of our words, our actions, and our silence, I believe we could begin changing the culture around us.

Because bullying should never become normal.

And kindness should never go out of style.

— Lady Flava 🌻