I’ve never been one to feel comfortable talking about the intimate and controversial topics of life. I guess it has been more of a “I didn’t want to offend anyone” with my stance and opinions on the different matters. However, ever since I finished 13 Reasons Why, I cannot help but feel that these “things” we choose not to speak of are relevant and we should not be afraid to talk about them. In fact, we NEED to talk about them before it is too late.

Yes, these “things” do happen. They are very much a part of life and we need to be ready to discuss them. I remember reading 13 Reasons Why in high school. I have never read a novel quite as honest and true as this one, and I believe that Netflix served the novel the justice it deserves. There need to be more shows, movies, and novels based on the reality of these situations because we all need to be educated and feel what those around us are dealing with on a daily basis.

B U L L Y I N G.

R A P E.

S U I C I D E.

Wow, that took a lot to write on this document.

I feel that everyone knows someone who has been bullied, raped, or committed suicide. You would think that since we have all experienced, at some point, a person dealing with one of the three things listed above that we would be a little more perceptive to the stories and signs conveyed. The problem is that we’re not. We are more likely to sweep it under the rug than actually deal with what is right in front of us.

Did you know that 20.8% of students are bullied? That means that 1 out of every 5 students are hurting from verbal, physical, and emotional abuse given by their peers (http://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/stats.asp).

Did you know that the majority of sexual assault victims are under 30 years old? 17.7 million American women and 2.78 million American men have been victims of rape. This includes both the attempt and the completion (https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence).

Did you know that suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death among young people? That means that 4,400 deaths per year are because of suicide (http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html).

These are the facts. This is life and it is time we do something about it.

When are we going to start caring? When are we going to start to open our eyes and see that the people around us are hurting more than we could ever imagine?

This “all about me” mentality we have perfected is destroying the lives around us—even our own. It’s created egotistical monsters who thrive off of bringing people down to lift themselves up and we all do it. We are all guilty of putting ourselves before the livelihood of others or bringing someone down to make us feel better.

We cannot personally feel the emotions or know the thoughts that go through the heads of those being bullied, raped, or contemplating suicide, but we can be there. We can be educated on how to help and stand against what's become "norms" within this society. We can be present and listen. We can speak up for those who feel as if they have lost their voice. We can show them that we care and believe that their life is worth living.