Dear Bullies,

To start off this letter I would like to note that I am writing it with a heavy heart. I have not dealt with the effects of bullying firsthand, but I have heard, seen and been brought to tears by what is going on in the world around us. For a long while I was ignorant and thought everyone got along blissfully, but due to recent events my eyes have been opened to a new pessimistic world.

If any of you reading this have ever picked on, or caused emotional/physical harm to someone this letter is for you. Physical abuse seems to be the classic stereotype for bullying when in reality it comes in so many different forms. From verbally attacking someone to not talking at all, people can be equally affected by the small choices we make each day.

For me personally it is hard to understand how people can choose to say such truly hateful things to the people that surround them every day, the people I consider friends. I see these people being discouraged and not knowing who to turn to for support. Whether they are embarrassed or just don’t know how to ask for help, no one deserves to be treated with such hate and destructive comments.

Bullies, I would like to say thank you. Not for how you have treated my peers, but how you have built me into the strong, respectful person I am today. Thank you for showing me that by attacking the people around me you have lowered yourself to a pitiful standard. Thank you for showing me I don’t need to put others down in attempt to bring myself up.

I hope you are blessed with amazing children so that maybe you can right your wrongs and teach them to be better than you ever could be. I hope you live a long and healthy life so that you can sit back when you’re 80 years old and reflect on how your actions affected not only your peers, but their families. I’m sure when one day you have your own family you will see the effects bullying have on children firsthand.

So please, take this letter into consideration and start treating everyone with the respect you would give your own family. We all can make the world a more positive place.