Bullying is all around us, and it does not stop when high school ends.  Bullying can follow people around their whole lives if it is not stopped.  These types of situations can cause the bullied to become depressed and might lead to suicide.

Stephanie Brundieck, a counselor at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE, stated, “Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC.”

Brundieck also discussed that for every suicide that does happen, there were at least 100 attempts.  Those numbers are drastically high, and it all starts with harsh words and rough play.

Some schools do not think they have a problem at school because students are so good at hiding the bullying and the pain that they feel inside.

A mother from a local town had a son that was being bullied in school and he never told her there was a problem at school until he tried to take his life.  The school kids would call him horrible names and teachers did not stop the jokes.  The teachers thought that they were harmless, but they did not know how much damage it was doing to the young boy.

Bullies start from learned behavior at home most of the time.  This can be from observing other students doing the act of bullying or even at home.  The bully may be being bullied by someone else and that is the only way to get back power.

“Some bullies do it to get attention or things, or to make other people afraid of them. Others might be jealous of the person they are bullying.”  Brundieck explained.

Most of the time the bully is having problems in their own lives that need to be sorted out.  Instead of facing the problem they pick on others to take away the pain and worry of what needs to be faced.

Statistics by ABC News stated, “nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying.”  This means that in a school of 3000 students, 900 students are either the victims or the bullies themselves.

Bullying is not just face to face anymore, it has moved on to computers and phones.  Facebook had its own battle with bullying.  Facebook started a beautiful people contest where bullying was fueled by millions of people wanting to get the most likes.

Instead of constructive comments seen when logging on, there are bombarded with negative comments about the way they look.

A group of students in Wayne, NE decided to stand on their own and do something about the bullying in their schools.  On April 19th, several hundred balloons will be let go to show their stand against bullying and mark the people that were silent for so long.

This group is not affiliated with the school in Wayne, but have worked hard to get their values across to the community and help give names and a voice to the many that are being bullied in their community.

Even if people are not a part of an anti-bullying group there are things that can be done  individually to help bullying.

“If you see someone else being bullied you should always try to stop it. If you do nothing, you’re saying that bullying is okay with you.  It’s always best to treat others the way you would like to be treated.”  Brundieck commented.

A victim of bullying can also do their part.  They need to let the bully know that what they are doing is not right and will not be tolerated.  Also, stay in groups of friends because bullies rarely ever pick on their victims in groups.

Sometimes a bully just needs attention and questioned if they are okay.  They may need counseling or just someone to talk to about the problems that they are facing.

Everyone needs to do their part to help this epidemic that is haunting the schools, internet, and workplaces.  If everyone stands up against bullying a lot of lives can be saved.