I have recently started to encounter this 'problem' quite often and it really got to a point where it started to bug me. Not only my personal experience with it, but also seeing other people deal with it as well.
I have decided to write this article in hopes to highlight something that almost everyone on this earth ever has at least faced once in their life. Pointing out something (often in public) that I don't already know about myself.
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"There is still hope for our generation, and the generations to come."
The image above displays a typical day of any modern smart phone user. Almost everyone around the globe has access to smart phones and internet. Smart phones has replaced almost every genuine moment we once used to share with our closest and dearest loved ones. It is a fact that the 'connection' is breaking between us and our loved ones..because of ourselves. Did you know that BULLYING exists in the work place and even at this age as adults?
Did you know that PEER PRESSURE doesn't only happen with children and teens, but adults PEER PRESSURE each other as well into doing negative things, especially at work? In almost every organization, company, or work place, multiple adults have experienced Peer Pressure and Bullying in one way or another. Bullying: "A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself." "When position, hierarchy, and ego leaves no space for humbleness, equality and happy faces."
Thought of the week: We are very good lawyers for our own mistakes, but very few good judges for the mistakes of others. One thing that I have experienced in the last years is the down falls that comes along when you work hard to become successful in what you do. For most people in our society, everything that does not go their way comes along with envy. When you do in fact succeed, you will get people who will dislike you for a lot of reasons, and sometimes without a reason. It deals with the most part of success. Sometimes people you even grow up with, who lived in the same neighborhoods as you did, went to same school as you did, you hung out with them, and suddenly they start treating you so different, because of your success. I am not implying that you should be treated on a silver plate, but people in general as humans get uncomfortable with the idea of someone else moving forward, faster than them. and then it comes with the other part of success, because sometimes in my point of view, no matter how far you go and how successful you get, people still see you as that kid from that neighborhood. It has that stigma that comes along with it. So why we as a society can't ever push each other forward instead of holding each other back? Why do we teach our children to be the competitors of each other instead of working together? The divorce rate is growing rapidly in the last years, especially on our island. It is remarkable to think that there are more divorces on average per month than there are marriages. I am not married (yet), and I don't have any children. I can't talk about what divorce feels like for the ones go underwent it, but I would rather talk about the third parties involved in every divorce: the children. For most children that experiences a separation at an early age, the reaction can vary. Not all children are as close to each parent as the other, and depending on the reason for the divorce, can all play an important role on how they deal with it. My parents divorced before I was 8 years old. I was never close with my father because of his drug and alcohol habits. To be honest, I can't even remember a Christmas that we have spent with him. It was a constant back and forth argument in the house every day that lead to a divorce when I was 8. because we never had that close bonding relationship with my father, I never really felt a gap when he left. We picked up the pieces just fine. It was very hard as the years went on. Because I was the oldest, I had a lot of responsibilities that was thrown on me to take care of. I felt like I was growing up too fast and at some point it became too much. Thought of the week: "When a flower doesn’t bloom you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower." Almost every kid from the young age of 5(or maybe even younger), are dressed from head to toe in the latest fashion. Teenagers all over the world, especially in our own community as well, have the latest trendy clothes, the newest phone and gadgets and everything fashionable. Referring by the famous quote by the famous author and poet, Oscar Wilde, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” In today's modern world, a lot of parents choose to buy the latest fashion items and gadgets for their children, instead of making a head start investment in their education. Most students go abroad to study and a few come back with a degree. Why are we young people lacking so much ambition? Why do we choose fashion statements over education? It is no secret that education has become a costly thing. By starting a savings account, you can start building up funds to help you go to college. College is viewed as a necessity, yet priced as a luxury. I don't own a Michael Kors bag, have a shoe for each day, or a collection of the latest sun glasses. My parents, in this case my mother did not have the luxury to buy me all of the things I wanted when I was younger. No offense to all those that were fortunate to enjoy the finer things, and maybe still do. As parents, and future parents, it is important that we understand that the cost of living including the cost of attending college is rising each year. As parents and students, we have to start planning and preparing for our future. Since high school I didn't go out much, and I didn't spend so much money on clothes, clubbing, or elsewhere. Instead, I was spending my weekends at home, sometimes preparing for finals and midterms ahead of time, and trying to struggle my way in getting a scholarship. My biggest aspirations were not to find a boyfriend, going out to the next big event or even getting expensive things, it was to graduate. I want to have a better quality of living for my family, and so that one day I can cater my family a life that they have dreamed of. Every minute counts. As far as it might look like from now, you have to start planning, and getting your priorities together. Another important thing that we forget is to always update our goals, monitor them, and strive for results. When you have a goal, and the only thing that you want is to achieve it, you WILL succeed. There were days that I would come home from school and cry. As confusing as it might be, it is a bittersweet feeling when all you want to do is succeed, especially in school. You are 'competing' with all of these other students, and sometimes you don't always win. While some of my classmates were all excited to just graduate, I would sometimes find myself crying because I didn't know how I was going to afford college. Where there is a will, there is a way While you still can, try to find online courses, or courses that are being offered to help you build up your portfolio for the future. I took various courses, workshops and trainings to fill in my resume, and build a solid foundation to help me get in a good college soon. As a confession as well, I was hungry for knowledge, and I was desperate to achieve. My opinion about it The sad reality in the education system is that only brains will not get you enrolled in a college. With the modern world, most colleges are too expensive for middle class families to afford. Its disappointing that we don't have that many scholarship opportunities for students here who desperately want to make it, and want to finish their degree instead of dropping out because they can't afford a college tuition. I wish and hope that one day, companies will invest more in funding financial scholarships for students, and that one day we can all get an opportunity to make our dreams come true regardless of our financial status and say "we did it" with a diploma in our hands. I have written various articles for newspapers, notes, social media sites, newsletters and more on the phenomena that still is the elephant in the room: Cyber bullying. The reason therefore is because it is an alarming issue that is happening in our online community, especially amongst teens and children. Cyber bullying can affect anyone at any age, no matter your gender, race, religion, income, social status, at any time, day and no matter where you are around the world. Why is Cyber bullying a scary problem? In contrary to Bullying, Cyber bullying happens 24/7 and can reach any house hold at any time. It can be hard to trace the bully because with the use of technology, some social media sites have the option of remaining anonymous or by creating fake pages using pictures and names of other people to hide their identity. According to Stopbullying.gov Cyber Bullying is defined as "bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles." Often because this issue is ignored or not talked about, it fuels up to become an issue that is hard to tackle. Teenagers all over the world have access to technology, and social media websites including the use of the internet. The internet made it easier for us to connect with the world, buy merchandise, keep track of everything that is happening, and be the first to know any news or gossip all over the world. This all sounds great, but what happens when the use of the internet can become a danger for teenagers and children? Cyber Bullying happened to me In February of 2015 I have experienced Cyber Bullying for the first time. I never imagined that it would be something that can happen to me. I always had the idea that bullying and cyber bullying happened to kids or teenagers who often were either isolated or were easy targets. I was very much involved in Service and Volunteer clubs, was an outstanding student, was awarded various times and had a great group of friends. What I did not know was that Cyber bullying can happen to anybody, despite how successful you are, how many friends or popular you might be, income, social status, race, gender, age and is not easy to stop. I started getting really mean and hurtful comments on the popular social media website Ask.fm. Ask.fm is a website that is created to give users the opportunity(by creating an account), to ask each other questions or give comments with the option of remaining anonymous. I had an account on ask.fm but never got any hurtful or mean comments. I did not have enemies or problems with anyone (that I was much aware of). I never knew until today who was the person sending me those mean comments and hurtful messages. I always thought of myself as a person with a strong confidence and I never thought that those comments would affect me in any way. To be honest, as confident as you might be or show, sometimes subconsciously those comments to have an affect on you (either long term or short term). The reality is this: It is very hard to deal with a problem that is growing day by day and no one is taking action. So what did I do about it? Shortly after this happened, I posted a post on Facebook where I told my story with the comments I received anonymously on Ask.fm and the reaction I got was amazing. I had people who I never talked with message me with their stories of their own struggles with Cyber bullying and Bullying. It was then that I realized that this is a big issue that we are not talking and doing something about. I had the chance to give a presentation of social problem to the Kiwanis Club of Aruba, and that was the very first time that I shared my story and talked about what is Cyber bullying and what we as parents, teachers, friends, and online users can do about this issue. Later on I started giving the same presentation to various organizations, and I am still planning on reaching schools and the world. I wrote various articles in the local newspapers about this issue and after that I saw a lot of people talking about it on social media, radio hosts talking about this topic and even had organizations starting awareness campaigns on Bullying and Cyber Bullying. How can you help stop/prevent Cyber Bullying?
To understand more what is Cyber Bullying and know what you can do, feel free to visit these resource websites:
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Hi, thanks for stopping by.
My name is Keyla and I am a second year university student studying social work. I blog about social media, lifestyle, health, beauty, love, relationships, career and student life-hacks. Leave a comment and give my articles a ❤️ or 👍🏻 and don't forget to share to show your support. 😘, Keyla Publication Dates
March 2018
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