Chelsea LaBar: Blog 1 – This I Believe
Early in life I’ve learned sometimes people aren’t nice to everyone because of insignificant things they find fault with in others. It could be the person’s looks, background; even how the person acts. I’ve had to endure it personally, and I have witnessed it happening to others. In seventh grade I was sitting with my friends at lunch conversing about some idle topic. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a girl, I’ve known to be a social outcast in my school, sit down at a table full of other students. She sat down quietly at the end of the table; seemingly trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible. She made a wide gap between her and the others sitting there, and began to eat her pepperoni pizza.
Soon after, the girls at the table began saying horrendous things to her. They asked her, “Why she had the nerve to sit there, and how no one wants her there.” The bad mouthing continued as they began to call her names and attacked her looks and her character. I was waiting for the girl to say something to defend herself, or even insult them in return. Instead, she just sat there calmly eating her lunch, and seemingly ignoring the students degrading her. Finally one girl said, “what, are you too stupid to understand we’re insulting you?” The girl being bullied finally stood up slowly; tray and all, and went over to an empty table. Laughter could be heard from the table she just left as they seemed ecstatic that they were that contemptuous towards an innocent girl who did nothing to them.
I went home distraught over the situation. I wasn’t sure why I was so upset; it wasn’t like it happened to me. I didn’t suffer the humiliation and torment that she went through. Still, I was unsettled by it, and was torn as to what I should do. The next day, I was once again sitting in lunch with my friends. They were gossiping and talking about plans for the weekend while I sat there contemplating. I saw the bullied girl once again walk through the cafeteria; except this time she didn’t attempt to sit at an occupied table. She sat at the same vacated spot as she did yesterday. There were remnants of ketchup and crumbs covering the table, but it didn’t seem to bother her much. I was shocked to see she seemed perfectly happy today. I knew if I was in her shoes I wouldn’t be feeling the same. I got up suddenly, startling all my friends who asked me what I was doing, but I ignored them for the moment. I walked over to the proclaimed social outcast and hovered over her as she sat eating. She looked up in my direction and smiled.
“Are you ok,” I asked her, in regard to her conflict yesterday in the cafeteria.
“Never better,” she replied.
I was baffled by her response and then I told her to come sit with me and my friends. She looked hesitant at first, but then she finally got up and followed me over to my table. When we sat down I noticed students starting to whisper and laugh. They were making fun of me for being nice to the social leper. I started regretting my decision to ask her to sit with me, but I knew it was too late to retract the invitation. My friends said they would leave if she didn’t sit somewhere else. They were embarrassed to be sitting with her, and didn’t want their reputation to be slandered by association. I refused to make her move so each of my friends got up and sat somewhere else. I noticed they joined in the mockery towards me and the bullied girl, and I remember starting to freak out. I wanted to be swallowed up by the floor so no one would talk about me anymore. Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes as my unsettled emotions grew. I was starting to get angry and I wanted to lash out at the other people for their words and laughter. The girl who I was losing my friends for put her hand on my arm comfortingly.
“Don’t worry about it. They’ll get bored eventually and move on to something else,” she said consolingly.
“How do you do it? How do you just sit there quietly and take all their insults without a word against them?” I questioned in puzzlement.
“I don’t like people saying awful things about me. It does hurt my feelings. And, I know because of that I would never talk negatively to anyone else. I wouldn’t want someone to go through what I do.” She answered.
At her answer I finally understood. Suddenly, it was like the words and jeering of my peers were nothing more than background music at a restaurant. At that moment, me and the girl became friends; despite the judgment we would get for it.
I believe in treating everyone with kindness. I would never want to be ridiculed or put down every day, therefore I don’t do it to anyone else. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and treat them kindly; even if they have a bad reputation. I believe people will get farther in life following a philosophy of kindness, then stepping on others to get to the top. I believe that showing someone kindness and giving them a moment of happiness is worth more than a reputation. I believe that being kind to others makes you feel better as a person. I believe that people you’re kind to can sometimes have an impact on your life; whether big or small. I may not always have good moments in my life, but I believe I’ll have more of them with this belief then without it.