I used to have a lot of friends. Then I met a person who made me question why have so many friends when you can have one best friend that means the world to you? For a while I thought that one-and-only one friend was the best way. One day I decided to talk to some people my friend didn't necessarily like, and everything went down hill. Suddenly, I was being controlled by somebody who didn’t have the right to control me. Bullying isn’t necessarily name calling, making fun of people, or throwing punches. Sometimes it’s taking control of people and manipulating them to become somebody you want them to be instead of letting them express their true self.

Everybody is not the same. People are different races, they speak different languages, they like different things, they hang out with different people, and they express their inner self differently. Nobody was created the same for a reason, and sometimes people have a hard time realizing that. We were created to stand out. If everybody was exactly the same, the world would be boring. The amount of respect we have for people who are different is very low. We act like if they don’t share the same interests that you do, they shouldn’t be treated right, and so then they get bullied. Nobody realizes the effects bullying has on people and its getting out of control.

I understand that bullying is a hard thing to detect because most kids don’t report it, but when it is reported little to nothing is done about it. I feel like adults think that if they shrug it off and let it go, it will all just go away. They’re wrong. The bullies just keep coming back and targeting, and it’s not okay. Over four thousand kids commit suicide every year as a result of being bullied. They feel like they have no one to turn to. They feel alone. They don’t know a way out. It’s time to start realizing it. It’s time to start acting.

Everybody is worth something. Everybody was put on this Earth for a purpose. If we lose thousands of kids to suicide every year, before they get a chance to make an impact on the world, then we all lose. Nobody is worth the amount of pain the bullying victims go through every day. If we start caring a little more and start preventing the bullying from happening, the world would be such a nicer place to live. We are all worth something. We all deserve respect.