By: Johnny Abi Younis
Bullying, who hasn’t gone through it. It was either you were either the bully or the bullied, or maybe even the bystander. However, a bystander is considered as guilty as the bully since he/she had the option to help the victim, but doesn’t choose it. When a victim sees people ignoring his pleas for help, it makes him feel twice as helpless.
The bullied can’t stand up against their harassers all alone, especially if there’s more than one. A desperate victim would be craving just a little bit of support, but with turning a blind eye to their situation, you’re diminishing what little hope they have left. By “minding your own business”, you’re letting the bully get away with their crime.
But you should realize that this isn’t a situation where you could just keep on “minding your own business”. With showing a victim that little bit of support they’ve been needing for a long time, you’re doing a lot. It only takes one person, one demonstration of courage, to make the victim feel all better.
When you stand up against a bully, you’re incentivising other bystanders to rethink their decisions and consider helping as well. A lot of bystanders are also waiting for someone to start helping first, and you could be that someone.
You could build up your courage and lend a helping hand, or you could keep on ignoring victims, out of fear of becoming one. But do know that there’s no place for cowards in this world.
