Why do people bully?

Why do people bully? Bullying is one of the most prominent issues involving teens and children. So why do teens feel the need to put people down in order to be noticed, or to feel good? Is it because they are insecure? Or are they just plain mean? There are so many tragic stories involving bullying, and some cases have even led to suicide. This is such a huge issue involving teens all over the world. We need to do what we can to try and prevent it.
The Merriam Webster definition of bullying is: 1. an overbearing person who intimidates weaker people 2. To intimidate. My definition of bulling is: The act of physically or mentally harming someone, or one’s opinion of himself. Bullying comes in many different packages, some more severe than others, some tied up in a pretty box or others that are blatant and apparent. Some examples of bullying are cyber bullying, which is one of the most prominent cases. This is more of an issue with girls because they are not into physically hitting someone like boys do to each other. Cyber bullying is where you spread lies, talk badly about someone, or share embarrassing pictures over the internet. It’s basically anything that could hurt someone over the internet. Another example is physical bullying. This is probably the form that comes to your mind when you think of bullying- slamming people up against their locker, physical punching or hitting…etc. You would think it only happens at school, right? Not exactly. Bullying happens everywhere-on the streets, malls, schools, and even you own house. Some people bully because they have problems going on at home and it helps them vent their frustrations. Others bully because they are insecure and want to be noticed. And others bully just to be plain ole’ mean. Bullying happens all over the place. We need to keep our eyes open to see, and to stop bullying when it happens.
When I was in sixth grade, my best friend stopped hanging out with me and wanting to be around me. We had been inseparable since we were in third grade, and then suddenly she started to be really mean to me. She also started hanging out with another girl who was more “popular” than me. They started wearing matching clothes and sitting together. They would be partners in all the group projects, and I would be alone. Sometimes I would even catch them whispering and laughing in my direction. I would try to participate in their conversations and sit with them at lunch, but they would just ignore me, and talk about that sleepover they had had the previous night. It really hurt my feelings. I would come home, and as soon as I got in the car I would start crying. I didn’t understand what I had done to make her act that way towards me. It made feel inadequate, like I wasn’t good enough for her. This went on for almost the whole year of sixth grade, but by seventh grade, I had made friends who really cared about me and liked me for who I was. My old friend still isn’t very nice to me, even up to today. I still don’t understand why she stopped liking me, or why she was ugly to me. All I know is that I now have friends who will love me no matter what. My story is definitely not a severe case of bullying, but it allows you to see how bad someone who is mean to someone can make them feel.
Bullying is awful. It makes a person feel inadequate, unloved, disrespected, and just plain awful. Some people are bullied so severely that they are compelled to commit suicide. A person could make another person feel so terrible that he/she is drawn to take his/her own lives. So the question still remains. Why? Why do people want to hurt their own friends and peers? The most popular reason for it is the feeling of wanting to be noticed. As sad as it seems, a lot of teenagers come from broken homes where their parents don’t care about them. They are not noticed at home so they want to be noticed at school. The way they go about becoming “noticed” is by getting in trouble so that the teachers will see them. EX. Cheating, bullying, causing a ruckus…etc. The next main reason for bullying is insecurity. The bully is most likely very insecure, either they feel like nobody likes them or they have a hard life at home. Most likely, the bully’s victim is someone they are jealous of, someone that has a happy life. They feel that hurting that person will make them feel better. Bullying is wrong no matter what the reason.

As sad as it may seem, there are people out there who want to hurt others. It is important that no bullying case goes unnoticed, for it could cost a life. We have to do what we can to look for it and stop it when it happens. There is absolutely NO instance where bullying is ok. Leviticus 19:18 says, “Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge on your own people. Instead, love you neighbor as yourself.”