Article April 16, 1921 Issue

Bullying

ALEXANDER F. PRIMROSE

BULLYING is unfortunately not confined solely to boys' schools, though it is usually looked upon as being the ill-treatment which boys sometimes receive at the hand of bigger and stronger ones. Where it occurs in other walks of life, it is usually called by some other name. Bullying is always looked on with disapproval and steps are taken to stamp it out when it is discovered. The reason for this is simple. A bully is always a coward at heart, and never dares to hurt any one if he imagines for a moment that there is any chance of his not being able to do so with impunity. No one has ever any use for a coward, and bullying has always bad results for those who are not able to resist it.

When asked what a small boy is to do who is being bullied, some people sometimes glibly advise his fighting the bigger boy who is tormenting him. Though the advice may be well meant, if acted upon literally it usually has rather disastrous results. The proper way to overcome bullying is well given in "Tom Brown's School Days," that delightful description of life at a big boarding school. The advice given in this book to those who are not able to protect themselves by physical means is to "grin and bear it." This is a sure remedy for bullying, because once the bully sees that his efforts are not causing fear he transfers his attentions elsewhere. He thinks he does so because there is no fun in tormenting some one who does not mind it; but really it is because he has an instinctive fear of being hit back. Fear is like the darkness which vanishes into its native nothingness before the light of Truth.

There is no one, however, who does not encounter bullying in some form or another, although he may call it by some other name. In fact, whenever a man is afraid, he will be bullied, because fear is the belief that there is some power in the world besides Love. If therefore a man believes in an illusion, he will suffer the effects of his belief; and as any belief as to the existence of a power opposed to God who is infinite Life, Truth, and Love, must be the opposite of these divine qualities, the effects of his belief must of necessity be very unpleasant. It may be said that the baneful results of entertaining these erroneous beliefs are the only good thing that can be said for them, as sooner or later they make one seek to rediscover what God, Principle, is. In other words, ceasing to be afraid of the bully, whether it is called ill health, business misfortune, unhappiness, to mention only a few of the ills which seem to cast their shadow across the path of mortal existence, gives one immediate freedom.

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