From the day he joins primary school to the day he graduates, almost every student faces bullies. He faces bullies no matter what grade he/she is in. There are always the little bullies in primary school who form a gang of three to four other short-heighted, spoon fed bullies in order to tease the innocent, in most case ‘helpless’, little ones. Bullies exist in your own class and they may exist as your seniors. No matter what, throughout your academic life, bullies follow you like your own shadow. In fact, they make some students’ lives a living hell.

When it comes to defining bullies, there are no appropriate words other than describing them as ‘cowards in disguise’. This phrase defines the horrifying bullies completely. Yes, they seem powerful and yes, they tease and hurt others, but that does not mean that they are brave. Neither does it mean that they are powerful, or a gangster or a cool dude. Instead it shows their mental level – its steep slope.

Bullies are in fact themselves victims of depression, anger and complex. Making fun of others does not make bullies powerful. It actually proves how low their mentality is that they get pleasure in hurting others. Even though they do have a bunch of four to five disciples around them, they are actually very lonely. They have no friends at all because a special gift like friendship requires special attributes like love, trust, compassion and care – attributes that they do not possess at all. They have the robust figure, the manly voice and all the guts that one could have on Earth, yet from the inside they are egoistic cowards who need treatment and counseling desperately and the robust figure, manly voice and all the power is just an outward cover to hide their insecurity.

Bullies have cost many lives. They have tortured many students who consequently became afraid of going to their academic institutions, started getting bad grades and still have a scar on their personality. On the very extreme cases, bullying has caused some students to commit suicide as well.

To face bullies and actually make all their efforts ineffective, one needs to have the real courage, the real power and the real guts – not the fake one that the bully has. One needs to believe in their inner self and also that the good is always victorious and the bad always defeated. Above all, the one who falls prey to bullying should never pay heed to what he says and remember that he is the one who is strong, not the bully.

Even in my country, Pakistan, where there was no concept bullies at all, the trend has increased and bullies now exist. In movies, magazines and novels, there is always a bully – even in cartoons! They are REAL and they are supposed to be defeated by their victim. If I were to recommend, I would advise that guidance counselors to both the bullies and the one being bullied. Parents should take serious notice of their child’s changed behavior or deterioration in their personality and then act accordingly. The academic life is when personality and character are built and enhanced so no one should let a bully have the power to leave a scar over their character for the rest of their lives.