Bullying And Afterwards

Barbara: A friend of ours showed us this unbelievable video of a speech given by a young, unknown (at the time) girl, just 18-years-old, who had never given a speech before this one. Now Molly Burke is a full-time speaker for Me to We, a school-focused initiative developed by Free the Children. The program encourages today’s young people to work toward peace and goodness the world over. Molly brings a uniquely young and current perspective to many issues facing youth, including bullying, mental health and overcoming adversity.

I knew I had to share the video with you here, especially in light of the terrible spate of suicides of bullied children making the news lately. Instead of focusing on the wrongs of the world, I prefer to post pieces that focus on what’s right. And Molly, a victim of bullying, shows us exactly that. That hope and courage (and time!) can overcome the worst.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t embed the video into our blog: the video is here. If you want to see Molly, she begins at the 2:15 mark. But here’s the most amazing part—the part you don’t want to miss, the part that will blow you away, happens around the 5-minute mark.

Have you overcome bullying in your past? If so, what was the solution? In my case, it was time. After I was groped by a group of boys in my high school hallway and verbally tormented for the rest of that school year, I found my escape in the drama department. Then I rediscovered my self-confidence, and then the next year, the furor had died down and it seemed that I had been forgotten as a target. Conversely, there is also the question of the bully. Speaking with a friend yesterday, she told me that a close friend of hers—a kind, decent, loving, sensitive, compassionate woman—had been, in her own words, a “terrible bully" in her teens. Makes you think, doesn’t it?