SENTINEL WATCH March 3, 2008 Issue

A SPIRITUAL LOOK AT THE SERIOUS FACE OF BULLYING

ANNETTE BRIDGES

Disturbing incidents of bullying continue to make news headlines worldwide. And it seems bullying has a new face, or as some say, no face at all with the "cyber bully." This faceless individual anonymously torments, threatens, and harasses others via the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or cellphones.

In the United States, studies indicate one out of ten students drops out of school because of repeated bullying. And harassment and bullying have been linked to suicides and to 75 percent of school-shooting incidents. Sadly, some studies have suggested that as many as half of all children have been bullied at some time during their school years, with many children admitting having experience as both the bully and the bullied.

This didn't surprise me as I recalled my own experience of being bullied. As a young child, I was very skinny and self-conscious about my size and appearance. Getting teased about my size was a frequent occurrence, especially during physical education classes.