It's October 1. We're kind of glad September is over, because it was filled with news of four teen boys -- in Indiana, Texas, California, and New Jersey -- who committed suicide as a result of being bullied. It doesn't matter why they were bullied. These boys felt so much pain at the hands of their peers that they must have thought there was no way life could ever get better. That's a lot of pain, and it makes us hurt just to think about it.We urge IML'ers to take a look at our Bullies section, even if you've read it before. We all need to remind ourselves of how our actions (and inactions) might affect other people. It's important to ask these questions:
- What is bullying, officially?
- Who are bullies, really?
- Who's most likely to be a target?
- How do I handle it?
- Am I an "Innocent bystander"?
- Am I a bully?!?!
- How do I make our school a "Bully-Free Zone"?
- What counts as "online bullying"?
- Who can I talk to if I really need advice?
We know things can change, and that change can start right away, and it can start with you and the people around you. There's power in compassion!
