For Lack of a Better Comic: Bullies

For Lack of a Better Comic :: Bullies

Seems about right.

Damsel out of Distress

Mattie:

If you ever need to reinforce that iron will of yours, then reread this letter. If you have lasted this long already, what could possibly stop you now? You are a tough girl, and you have been through hard times, but you always make it through. You pride yourself in being so headstrong, so do not let anything break you down. No person, place, nor anything else in this world has a strong enough hold on you to wreck you.

You have lost people before. People you love and cherish have been ripped from life, but they will always be with you. You will always have good things waiting for you. Never forget how much those people have helped you, even after passing on. They would want you to stay strong for them because they want to see you be strong and happy. Do not let them down. Do not let down the people you still have, either.

You can do anything you set your mind to. After years of being an outcast, you have managed to make a few of the best friends you will ever have. After weeks, or even months, of struggling with grades, you always pull them back up. You are an optimist. You look on the bright side of things, and you assume everything will go for the better. Do not lose that mindset. That is what gets you through your struggles.

Love, yourself

Forest of Forgiveness

Cruel insults slither from your lips

poisonous

Sparks destined to burn down

my forest of self-worth

leaving behind ashes of humility

hurt

resentment

the ghost of what could have been

years of happiness

confidence

what I could have been

could have done with those lost years

all blowing away in the wind

Then

seeds of reprieve

slowly reviving my forest

my dignity

fuller and more majestic

rising from the ruins

Renewed

Strengthened

Like a broken bone that has healed

More durable than before

Wisdom

Compassion

Mercy

The fruit of my forest

Muddy grudges washed away

by the clear waters of joy

I recall your poisonous

pained words

spoken through trembling lips

your dampened eyes

that refused to shed a tear

And I forgive you

Oxytocin and Other Affectionate Terms

Socialization is a key fragment of human life. It keeps us sane, happy, and is an expected occurance. Without the relationships of a typical human life, we would be less advanced than animals, which also have their own societies and connections. Having people one can rely on keeps much stress at bay, and love produces happiness. Love actually induces chemical reactions in the brain that have positive effects on humans. As well, one of the main purposes of human companionship is reproduction. Without it, humans would not even exist. The ideal human family consists of a mother, father, and the offspring, as it was planned to be. This set up is based off of human relations; love was intended to be an essential part of a healthy life. Humans are meant to come into the world and be cherished and loved, so where would we be without that?

My Friends Are Gold Stars

My lovely friends.

Each one is utterly unique.

The best of the best.

They’re magical.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

When I look at my friends,

I’m blinded by their perfection.

Trustworthy, caring;

Kind, whether it shows or not.

Each has a splendid sense of humor.

They are all unbeatably beguiling.

Intelligent; such a charming attribute.

Sensible.

I love them.

My family beyond my family.

They make up

A beautiful part of my heart.

From Geek To...Geek With Friends

When I was younger, my mother and I moved around quite often. I never spent more than a single year at any school, and once I even attended two different schools in one year. As a result, I never had many friends. As a small child it did not bother me because I was more than content to keep my own company, but it became a lonelier experience as I grew older. I wanted friends, and I wanted to belong somewhere. However, I was never the most socially adept child, and was often shunned by most of my classmates for my strangeness. It was a desolate and agonizing routine, being shirked by nearly everyone in my path, aside from any single friend I would somehow make at any given school. Today I have a multitude of fabulous friends, and I cherish every minute of our friendships. Perhaps I may be a bit clingy, but it is difficult not to be when I have a subconscious dread of losing any one of them. They all mean so much to me, and being accepted by such wonderful people is the best feeling in the world.

It Wasn't Me!

It seems that when bad things happen, the person who “does” it is to blame. I, however, feel that there is more to it than that. For example, if someone lends their friend a car that has faulty brakes, and the friend gets into a crash, the blame is dependent on a few factors. If the car owner discloses the fact that the brakes are faulty, then I believe the friend is at fault because they took their chances by driving the car knowing the brakes are defective. However, if the car owner did not tell their friend about the breaks, then it is definitely the car owner’s responsibility. If the friend did not know of the damage, they could not take the necessary precautions to avoid an accident.  The methods of discerning liability, I believe, depend entirely on the situation at hand. Not all circumstances are the same, and so how the guilty party is determined must differ, as well.

Work Then Play...Why Not Both?

When I think of projects, the most potent recollection is that of my physical science project from this year.  The project was surprisingly very stereotypical of high school: Create a free-standing 3D model of an atom. I did not even believe that such projects were actually issued in high school, at least not in this day and age. I was ecstatic, in fact, to receive this project. My model was altogether rather simple. I shaped metal wire into rings, glued pieces of cereal together for the nucleus, and tied everything together on a stand made by my father. However, making a nucleus that was light enough not to pull the rings down was rather difficult. I had to remake it with as little hot glue as possible and still keep it round and together. I finally finished the new nucleus and tied it into my project with bated breath, wondering if it would pull everything apart. It did not! I was very proud of my project. It had a futuristic look to it, and it was functional! The rings actually spun around the nucleus in all directions, and it was quite fascinating to behold. All of the hard work I put into the model was most definitely worth the effort, and I was glad to share the results with my class.

Curiouser and Curiouser

There are many ways in which the unknown has been explored by marvelous souls. The seas have been sailed, the moon walked on, forests traversed, and even objects from right beneath man’s nose have been more thoroughly observed. Curiosity is what causes man to explore, for surely no other reason could be as enticing. As well, perhaps there are just some individuals who seek to aid the rest of mankind. Whatever the case may be, it may well be assumed that any being who would give up the entirety of their life to the sake of exploration and discovery must truly have a passion for whatever drives them to explore and discover.  Undoubtedly, this must be the case, else no man would give up perhaps wealth, comfort, a lighthearted step, or even the chance to live a usual life. If there were not people willing to devote themselves to that kind of life, one can only just fathom the world in which we would live today.

Despair (A Holocaust Poem)

Walls echoing with anguished cries,

the smell of death lingers in every corner.

The things seen, felt,

Weigh down the air.

Nothing compares to the evils

That occurred within a death camp.

Jewish people, stripped of more

Than worldly possessions;

Sorted ‘accordingly’, families ripped apart.

To the right, a quick end. Painless? No one knows.

To the left, torture. But still,

A chance to survive.

Again, the horrible things that occurred;

The tragedy of being a twin,

Inevitably to be chosen.

Your future to be filled with

Experimenting, tested on like a lab rat.

The screams of horror, pain.

To be here, in this place--

A nightmare.

Only, one didn’t awaken.

To feel this wrath,

Brought on without cause,

For a crime never committed.

Unjust, cruel, inconceivable;

But it happened.

Listen closely: Still their whispers are heard,

Sighs of agony reverberating through the ages.

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

One of the hardest things to do is tell the truth, especially in trying situations. I would never go around boasting the morality of truthfulness because I know there are plenty of times when I have lied to avoid punishment or unfavorable consequences. However, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, telling the truth is still the best option. Keeping a lie going is very difficult and exhausting, and the results are much worse if someone finds out than if one just tells the truth to begin with. Of course telling the truth means one is almost certainly in for some kind of discipline, and there is the chance one can get away with a lie, but the risk is great. As well, there still is the point of morality. For the most part, telling the truth is just the easier route to take. It is less work, less risk, and it is much more respectable.

High School Never Ends

                For me, high school is very different from preceding levels of education. In some ways it is easier, and in some ways harder, but altogether it is a totally new experience. It has brought on many changes in my academic life and created an array of new difficulties for me to overcome, achievements for me to bask in, and ambitions for me to pursue.

       Starting with the bad, I have encountered unusual and foreign complications. My test scores, generally above and beyond average, have become just that: mediocre. Straight A’s have fallen to B’s, and even worse, C’s! Also, though I typically finish homework and out-of-class assignments on time, procrastination has become my new worst enemy. Even so, I typically scrape good grades on last-minute dashes, though I occasionally slip up. Then there is my number one flaw: forgetfulness. If it is not ingrained in my brain, chances are I will completely forget it until it is too late, and I have a bad habit of believing I will remember it without writing it down. Quite frankly, high school has created a plethora of new disappointments for me, but I do have few redeeming successes.

        While I have discovered new failures, my attainments have stayed, for the most part, the same. Though my test grades have dropped somewhat, I do rather well with homework and classwork. I tend to forget assignments occasionally, but I can usually get them done on time. As a result of my doing well with assignments, my overall grades have stayed in an A to B range, which appears to be very good for Early College. On that note, my greatest academic success has to be actually getting into Early College High School. Everything about it—the opportunities, the environment, and life-changing events—is amazing. All of my successes leave me dreaming of even greater successes.

       Though I believe I do rather well in school, there is most definitely room for improvement. A’s and B’s are good, but my greatest goal in school is to receive straight A’s. My college career depends fully on whether or not I manage to scrounge up a full-ride scholarship. The only way I will get the grades I want is by studying and remembering my assignments, both of which I plan to improve on. Studying will be difficult since I have never had to do so before, but to remember my work all I have to do is make a habit of writing all of my assignment down. It may be tedious, but I must do whatever it takes to make my dreams to come true. I have to do it for my family, and I have to do it for myself.

       With all my new struggles, accomplishments and aspirations, high school really is an adventure. There is always something to keep me busy, whether it be overcoming an obstacle, maintaining a successful streak, or reaching for the stars. High school is frightening and exciting, and all around a huge step in my life. Here is where I make it or break it.

Take a Stand

I think people cyber bully for the same reasons they bully others in person: low self-esteem. However, it is easier to be tough online, and to spread rumors online. If a bully puts something online, more people will be able to see it, and the victim will most likely become to ashamed to do anything about it. Someone who sees it would probably be more likely to reprimand the bully online, if at all. People can hide behind a computer screen, but it is also faster than waiting until a face-to-face encounter. I was bullied when I was younger, so I know the pain and humiliation it brings. I never had an ounce of self-esteem after being put through that, and unfortunately would never have the courage to stand up for others. Now, however  I am much stronger than I used to be. I would not hesitate to put a stop to it. I do not want anyone else to be hurt and belittled like I was. Usually others are afraid to intervene because they want to "fit in," or they are scared of becoming a victim themselves. It takes courage to stand up for others, but every little action can start a chain reaction. It is worth the risk.

Pool of Tears

Each day,

new way

to break my battered heart.

"Tough as nails,"

never fails

to find a chink in my armor. 

Small stings,

little things,

piling up around me.

Across the floor,

against the door.

I fear I may be drowning.

Stealing? Call It "Seizure"

No one has the right to take something that is not theirs. That is the very point of it not being theirs. What would humans have in the world if any could take possessions from others? No matter what the history of the subject in question is, the right of ownership should go to whoever paid for it, so long as past discrepancies have nothing to do with the current owner. People cannot be held responsible for the acts of others, and should not be punished for them. There is no excuse for taking another person’s property. Imagine an item one holds dear being snatched away without hesitation or remorse. It is unthinkably cruel. It is a human right to own property. No one can take that away without repercussion. Using the excuses of “authority” and “righteousness”  to commit acts that are unlawful of others is disgraceful. When ones belongings are susceptible to “lawful seizure” because of someone else’s mistakes, no one is really safe.

Hero or Zero?

I believe the main factors that decide whether a person will risk their life for a stranger are their heart and their soul. If a person has a good, kind heart, and are selfless, they are very likely to justify saving someone they may know nothing about. Selfish, cold people typically put themselves before others, which is exactly why they are considered as such. However, it also depends on whether or not they have a cowardly soul. Even if someone wants to help another person, fear can easily dissuade them. In dire situations, people are likely to act on either side of the spectrum. They will either be stupidly brave or disgustingly faint-hearted. Perhaps taking into account a person’s life can affect their behavior. When someone has a family to take care of, they may not want to risk their own life as it could, in turn, risk the welfare of the ones they love. People who live alone and have no one to support but themselves may not have much to lose. In the end, though, it really comes down to what a person is made of.

A Magical Meeting, To Be Sure

If I could meet anyone, from past or present, I suppose it would have to be J.K. Rowling. There would be nothing like discussing all the inner workings of Harry Potter over a nice mug of warm butterbeer! Of course the setting of our little chat would have to be The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I would ask her every question I have ever had about the series, and hopefully get some answers. Plus, nothing beats a Harry Potter-theme amusement park. It is probably a magical experience, and it must be the ultimate Harry Potter fantasy: I am certain every Harry Potter fan out there would love to spend an enchanted day with the author of their favorite series. I, for one, love debating about books, and who better to do so with than the author herself? Even if she does know everything about the series, it would still be quite an amazing time.

Christmas (Heart)Break and Happy Endings

I got a white, gray-hooded rat for Christmas. Having had rats before, but being to young to know what to do with them, I decided this time I would read about how to have the most fun with my cuddly new pet. Ellie is a very skittish little creature, but I read that rats are braver in number, and I decided to get her a cagemate. After going through three different pet stores and failing to find a smaller rat, I decided to get on of the medium-sized ones that had caught my eye earlier on. I took home my newly purchased, cream-hooded white rat, christened "Pip," and let her become acquainted with Ellie. They took to each other like mice to cheese! However, it seemed Pip was physically impaired, and walked awkwardly on her back paws. Feeling the urge to protect the sweet, gentle little rat, I promised to take special care of her. However, one cannot stop the course of nature. The next day she passed away, and it was a heartbreaking moment. After a few days of healing, I decided to try again, and I bought another cream-hooded rat. She was younger than Pip had been, but I feel she was what Pip would have been, if she had had proper use of her hind legs. Trinket, the newcomer, is very energetic and chatty, sweet, and gets along very well with Ellie (even if not as quickly as Pip had). I believe she will help Ellie to earn some confidence and mellow out. I'm looking forward to the time I'll have with my new friends.