Facing the Violence

Bullying is damaging, and sometimes, the consequences of the harsh words and treatment can lead to the loss of life, as in the case of Pheobe Price. This young 15 year old girl was ridiculed by three older schoolmates both in the school and along the entire walk to her home in Massachusetts, and in the end, she took her own life. When sent before a court, the victims admitted to committing the act that led Pheobe to her death, but the judge resolved that none of the high school aged women would spend time in jail for this crime.

In the book “Hurt People Hurt People” many of the case stories provided included a section in which the violated individual had to learn to forgive their violator and to move forward. This forgiveness, though the perfect example of the response of Christ, was often due to the fact that the person only stopped in their physical, emotional, or mental violence because their victim had outgrown them or taken a stand for themselves. The goal of the book was for the violated to be able to find healing, but a part of me would like to see the violator face up to their crime and take control of the unhealthy behavior and thought processes that they have displayed.

When one person hurts another for the purpose of creating pain or amusing the self, then there should be responsibility taken for that hurt. Too often the perpetrator is allowed to move forward in their life without any real consequences being applied to their situation, which leaves them free to either endanger another weaker individual physically, emotionally, or mentally, or to endanger themselves. A threat that is not taken care of does not only cause harm to those they lash out on, but also on themselves.