Greetings one and all to this Friday the 13th blog about the Mad Runner and I hope you all had a great week and continue to have a great weekend.
I know with the constant stream of emails from this blog, that someone pointed out a suggestion which hit home for me and it was a jointed charity race that I am doing this year. Which means that I combine two charities together that go hand in hand with each other. And those two charities are anti bullying and suicide prevention.
Listening to this person's testimony struck me because of how their story connected with me and the rest of America. And I sure can relate with this person on what it is like to be....different. And I promised this person that I will not disclose their name and I honor that. But I will tell you this, I was in the same boat as a kid.
Growing up, I was a shy and quiet kid (shocking, I know) but during the school years, I was quiet because there were some boys who I knew that liked to pick on others because in their eyes, we weren't part of the cool bunch. We didn't play basketball or we just hung around and talked about music or tv shows. And of course, just like any kid, I was picked on because I had spikey hair and didn't always see eye to eye with many because I did my own thing.
As time progressed and I got involved with sports, the same kids I grew up with would always taunt others and including myself because we didn't dress like them or talked like them either. In some of our eyes, they were seen as bullies and sometimes, when we were approached, we wouldn't say anything to anyone, our parents or our teachers because we didn't want to be seen as a narc or snitch.
The high school years were a bit different for me, because I let go of that fear of them because I knew deep down, that one day, I will be more successful than they will be because people like that have one frame of mind, making others feel bad to make them feel better. To me, that was insecurity.
From then on, I just didn't care because I was concentrating on graduating and moving on with my life to prove that through anything that was in my way, I overcame it. And I always hope that for everyone else who ever had to put up with a bully or have seen such situations.
To others, it may seem like a shock to hear this from me on my past but I want to come to you as honest and loyal as you are to me. I am not ashamed of my past because hard times make you stronger, mentally and spiritually. And I think a reason why others didn't think too highly of me is because being known as a kid who has a father whom everyone talks about because of his contributions to South Dakota running, it was quite hard to be a figment of someone's idealist on who I should be.
But now, I am standing up for the fight against bullying and what it leads to because I hear such stories from kids who are pushed too far in life. And I find it both sad and sickening on what aftermath of bullying. Some turn to venting their rampage in a form of vengance which results in such a horrific manner, school shootings and a mental breakdown and in such cases as suicide. And it is sad that just because we are all different doesn't mean we are just like any other person in America. And it is also sad that it takes a horrible way to finally get recognized from their peers.
So, to those who have ever been picked on or bullied for being different, I say this, join me in the fight against something that is personal to me and hopefully to you. Let us all stand up and say that we are proud to be different than many because if we were all the same, life would be boring!
I am proud to say that I am different because I am the type of guy who likes to meet everyone and to those who read this, if you are having problems with everyday life, please contact someone, even if you want to send me a private message, I will respond and listen to anything you may say.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3MTOjKmLXw
Here is a link that will give you an idea on how bullying in America. This is a movie that I will be purchasing to help reach out to others.
Thank you and I hope this wasn't too much preaching going on for you.
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