Bullies will always exist. Now what?

Yes, I said it! Bullies will always exist! Bullies are a fact of life.  Bullies are us and and sometimes we are them.
Now what? Now is when we start teaching our children, our friends, our co-workers how to deal with bullying. What are our choices? Chances? Odds? What should we do?
One thing I know we cannot do in today's society is to count on others for help. Once upon a time if we were in trouble in America we could count on people to come to our rescue. Now it is the rare breed to stands out and helps someone else. We have been programmed and scared into thinking that if we help we will be the victim. We have been scared into thinking that if I stop to help that person who's car broke down that their friends will jump out of the bushes and beat me, rape me rob me.

So? Without someone to help us, how do we deal with bullies? We do it through our own power. Through self empowerment. Through the power of US!

I know, stupid isn't it. How will I, a girl, a small guy, stand up to the bullying tactics of two three or four others.
We do it by knowing who we are and recognizing in them the weaknesses that cause them to be bullies. By sometimes doing something as simple as, standing up, looking them in the eyes and seeing the morons they are and then turning and walking away.
Sometimes it will be that we will be the hero and when we see bullying we will stand next to the person being bullied and with the power of two we can face down the bullies or we might just say to one another, hey! This place isn't that great, how about we go to another place. And we leave again.

That tactic makes the bullied person feel supported and not alone.

The people who commit suicide, in my opinion, have significant other problems in their lives in order to commit suicide but the fact that the bullying pushed them over the edge is what we focus on.

But the truth is, if we allow ourselves to be bullied we lose self respect and with the loss of that self respect come other issues and where does it stop? Or will it actually promote us or the children we interact with to become bullies.

So again, what is the answer? Self empowerment, support, banding together, and sometimes even facing the bullies down so we know we can be in charge of our own lives once again.

What will you do the next time you are bullied or see someone being bullied? I hope you will look deep into your soul and make it a point to help or overcome and know that you are still a valued person with things to offer this world that the bullies will never understand.