Dear Bullies of the world,

This letter can start off many different ways, but without Odyssey, I don’t think I would be writing it. Now that I have this opportunity, I have many reasons for writing this open letter to you bullies of the world.

First, you guys all need some common sense kicked into you! This is just something I have seen with my own experiences and through seeing other people getting bullied. Do you guys like watching other people suffer? Do you all like to see other people be hurt and cry? Seriously, I have never truly understood you people with being mean to others. Didn’t you guys learn “to treat others the way you want to be treated” or “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything”? Many people I know, including myself, have known this since we were very young.

I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND. I don’t get why you people want to torment others. The whole concept truly doesn’t make sense.

Maybe you do have something bad going on, like some people have told me when you all bullied me, but I personally do not think that is an excuse. Other people go through things too. It’s not just you all. Everyone goes through different situations and experiences every day. Not all of those experiences are good. I know during the time I was bullied, I went through some pretty rough days with friends, teachers, family, and with everything and everyone else. Those days were really rough and you all made it worse. I felt like crumbling. The flower inside of me that was blooming with light, was wilting.

Here is to all of the times you have told me to stop being me, made fun of me for being myself, and told me I wasn’t good enough. Those made me feel terrible, but who would feel good after being told they weren’t good enough? What if I told you that? Wouldn’t you feel down on yourself and upset? Wouldn’t you feel self-conscious and insecure? You all wouldn’t feel good, would you? It is something I have always wanted to ask you all, especially when I can feel down, upset, and done with myself because of you all. Nevertheless, all of you got worse closer to the end of my time in high school since you started yelling, telling me things that I have never thought before, like ‘you’re going to die’. Yes, some of you have done that. It really brings you down and makes the flower inside me wilt more and more.

So bullies, even with all of these things that you guys need to know, I want to say one last thing to you all -- Thank you. I know that this may seem weird and a little out of the blue to say, but that is what I have to preach to all of you who made my school life miserable. It led me to sometimes made me not want to go to school. Basically, if all of you had never tormented me, I probably would not be as strong as I am today. I have gotten back up again and again. After a while, I knew that you all couldn’t stop me. You all made me stronger. I realized your words were just trying to stop me. Yes, words hurt. Sticks and stones may break my bones, and sometimes words do hurt. That was okay to me, but I got back up from those words and I kept going.

Those words led me to be stronger and to keep moving forward. So, I guess what I a am saying is thank you for the torment. Thank you for ruining some of my days. Thank you for making my days like crap. Thank you for letting me break down and cry. Thank you for telling me you wanted me to die. Thank you for all of that you did, it all made me stronger in the long run. I became stronger and stronger because of all of you, and that will help me for my whole life through.

Sincerely,

One of your victims