Every day a person’s life is being permanently changed because of bullying. Most of the time, the first thought that comes to mind when someone hears “bullying” is physical and violent pain being brought upon someone. That is bullying, but there are many other ways that a person can be bullied. In today’s generation, it is more common for someone to be bullied verbally and emotionally. Anyone can be bullied; age doesn’t matter. It can range anywhere from a small child to a teenager, or even an adult.

I have seen first hand how much a few hurtful words can affect someone deeply. I have a younger brother, who is now nine years old. Approximately two years ago, he started getting bullied. I came home from school one day to find him waiting for me on our front porch. I immediately sensed that something was wrong. As soon as he saw me, he ran to me, held on to me, and cried his little eyes out. He eventually told me that another child in his class had made fun of him during school. It still breaks my heart to this day thinking about the effect that someone else’s words had on my little brother.

A few words are all it takes to completely change someone else’s life and that person’s view on everything. People need to realize how powerful words can really be. Bullying isn’t always done intentionally. Someone may say something offensive without hesitating, not realizing that it could be hurtful to someone. Even small things such as making a negative comment towards someone’s appearance or personality traits can affect him or her deeply; it can make that person feel insecure for a very long time. That person may never forget what was said to him or her.

Although some hurtful things are said unintentionally, some are meant to cause pain. Saying something just to hurt someone is not only cruel, but it is also very ignorant and immature. Nothing is accomplished by making someone upset, hurt, and feel bad about themselves, so what is the point? Many bullies hurt others because they have their own insecurities or have been bullied previously.

However, if the case be that the bully has actually been bullied himself, then he knows how it feels. He should learn from his own experiences to try to prevent others from being bullied, rather than becoming a bully himself.

In our generation of technology and social media, a lot of verbal and emotional bullying is done on the internet. Bullying on the internet, or cyber bullying, is common among many teenagers in high school. Social media allows for even more people to be bullied, because on social media the bully can hide behind a screen.

Bullying needs to be stopped. The world needs people out there to step in and help a person when he or she is being bullied. Standing up for one person can not only save that person from a lifetime of pain, but it can prove to the world that there are people out there fighting against bullying and trying to prevent it. It can show everyone that one small action can save a person from so much pain.