Matthew 27: 24-25 “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”
If people cannot see the relationship between bullying and our sick society, someone is blind or not paying attention. I fail to understand why the media, the government officials, parents and observers in general cannot see a connection between school shootings and bullying.
At times it becomes too obvious something is out of control. This would be the case today with bullying and attacks in schools with guns, knives and other objects that can be used as weapons.
People blame the gun; the parents of the shooter or at times, even the school officials. Why can we never seem to see and address the real problem?
When I was growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s people had guns. I worked for twenty-five cents an hour to buy my first shotgun. The thought of taking it to school and kill someone never entered my mind.
We weren’t on drugs to calm us or food additives to alter our minds or excessive amounts of salt, sugar and chemicals. We were not exposed to the TV bullies. We watched Ozzie and Harriet and Leave it to Beaver. Comedy was clean but still made us laugh.
In today’s world the perpetrator of the offense is usually the one made famous by the media and making him/her into a celebrity is a fuel for the fire in itself.
Are children taught bullying? Absolutely! Parents inadvertently teach bullying with hate filled rhetoric, teaching children anything is okay as long as you don’t get caught and teaching them to be the leader of the pack and the “big man” in the crowd.
TV programs and movies teach bullying in the condescending talk to one another. The belief that arrogant or critical talk is funny seems to be the norm. Sarcasm is seen to be a mark of intellect or leadership. How misguided does our society have to become to reach a breaking point?
In this writers opinion that breaking point is here! Students and adults are being shot, stabbed or beaten in schools, malls and even in homes across America.
Social media has contributed to bullying. It is so much easier to insult or demean someone on a computer screen than face to face.
Suicide rates among young people have increased partly because of bullying. Numbers vary by source and the rates of loneliness, depression and other mental conditions have increased in recent years.
The bullying must stop and we must address the root of the problem. How many of the school shooters have been bullied and have had all they can endure and retaliate the only way they know how; with a gun, knife or other weapon? At times we forget a person can be killed with a ball bat, golf club, screwdriver or even a plastic bag.
The late-night comedians have established themselves as the kings of the bullies and our elected officials and news reporters are not far behind. I recently saw the president of the United States bullied in a news interview. Several commentators will not let their “guest” finish a sentence; that is bullying.
The point of many of the shows is to intimidate, insult or humiliate others. Then, when a young person comes to school with a gun or knife and does bodily harm to others, the source of the problem is covered by those that caused the problem. How blind do we have to be not to see this?
Freedom of the press carries over to on-screen news. Is it permissible for freedom of speech to justify the demeaning talk we hear on our TV? If it is destroying our society isn’t that misusing a freedom?
Why do we call violence anything other than what it is? TV shows and movies are teaching our young children “if you don’t like someone, shoot them.” Have we even seen a movie that hasn’t had someone shot and killed? Very few!
It is time to see bullying as a serious problem. Can we expect any less than a violent response from a child that is small or weak that has been bullied? When a child brings a gun or knife to school and harms another, there is usually a reason.
Psalm 82: 3-4 “Stand up for those who are weak. See to it that those who are poor and those who are beaten down are treated fairly. Save the weak and those who are in need. Save them from the power of sinful people.”
God through King David (writer of Psalms) teaches us to stand firm for the weak and oppressed. The Bible teaches us to love one another and a part of that love is to protect.
Would it be too much to ask for parents to teach their children this simple but very effective lesson from God? As long as other children/youth stand on the sideline and watch it happen, the bullies are encouraged.
If we fail to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ and promote the teachings of the Holy Bible, our world will continue to degrade into chaos and bullying on all levels will increase.
The teachings of God are the most substantial and authoritative guidelines for human behavior. To intimidate those that are weak and helpless is an action that we can no longer tolerate.
School shootings including the one in Madison, Wisconsin recently should be a wake-up call. Why would a fifteen year old girl bring a gun to school and shoot several other students? We may never know for sure but we do know the truth and/or the full story will likely never be told.
The greatest solution to this dilemma is to teach parents and children the rules and laws of God.
We must always teach that eternal salvation is attained by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1: 9) and resurrected (Matthew 28: 6).
There is a saying in farm country: “There’s no point in locking the barn door after the horse is out.” The bullying horse is out and is running wild and he must be stopped.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email: vmy2121@outlook.com