Bullying - don't buy into it

Look - I'm gonna try and be as real as a person can possibly be....being picked on, being dehumanized, being told you are nothing, being fed negative messages on a daily basis - whether at home, school, in your community - it sucks.  There's no way around it - it really, really sucks!  But you are not those messages.  You do not have to buy into what you are hearing.  You are a unique individual with unique talents, abilities, and gifts.  Those are yours  and yours alone.  People who put you down, leave you feeling less good about yourself are only doing it to make themselves feel better.  You won't recognize it, you will think - they seem so confident about themselves, they're so cool.  They're not really, they are acutally hurting too.  They have to be...self assured, confident people do not put others down to make themselves feel better...they just don't do that.  So, the next time someone is belittling you keep in mind they have their own issues.  They have their own pain.  I realize that as you are going through this, what the other person is feeling is irrelevant.  You could care less.  You are not out trying to hurt them, they are intentionally trying to hurt you...trying to stand you out in front of a bunch of people so they can boost their own self esteem.  But, if you can remember this then maybe as you walk by them you can hold your head a little higher knowing the issue is not within you, but it is within them.  Maybe if you say anything you can say - I feel sorry for you....and keep walking - head held high - they will know what you mean.....if you do not say it then maybe you think it and keep walking - head held high.