There seems to be alot of discussion and debate these days about bullying. It reminded me of a blog I did a few years back. Enjoy!
Bullies. Mean girls. Ladder climbers. Call them what you will. You know the ones. They just can’t stand to see you succeed. They don’t want to share the limelight if you are in the same room as they are. Or, if you don’t dress like they do or live the lifestyle they live, you are deemed inferior. Your jokes just aren’t as funny as theirs. The most popular girl in the room isn’t your friend, she is their best friend. Bringing back any memories from childhood?
You see, that’s what gets me. I really thought that you left those mean girls or sill bully situations behind once you entered adulthood. Silly me. I thought people actually did just that–grow up.
But alas. Some do not. A friend of mine was relaying to me recently the abuse she has been personally taking of late at the office. She works in a government job, so I wasn’t really too shocked by her stories. I am amazed at the juvenile behavior that exudes from some women though. Yes, I am talking about the “grown-up, mean girls” of our every-day world. The guy that stabs you in the back as soon as you exit the conference room. You know the ones. They gossip about you and work to make your life miserable. They love to undermine you and dig up a group to join in on the scheme with them. But you just can’t seem to figure out why. That’s good! It proves you don’t think like or operate like them! What I find most interesting, however, is that what they accuse you of, they seem to have mastered as a personal art form. It’s just that they don’t see it that way.
I then began to share with my friend that I could relate. We have all had someone that we once knew that just couldn’t can’t stand to congratulate, encourage, or compliment us. On the contrary, they have to get little digs in when a simple pat on the back truly is in order. My friend came to this conclusion about her situation once we finished our chat: “She’s a bully.”
Wow. She was right! When I thought about it, I realized she’d nailed it.
Ok, so enough negativity, but what I am attempting to say is this, the next time someone gets their fix or their kicks out of bringing angst to your life, rather than let it ruffle your feathers take this approach: Pity them. Feel sorry for the people that share the same household or office that they do. (Imagine what those folks nearest the offender are actually having to live with.) It just might ease some of your mental pain and confusion. The point is, if someone is bound and determined to upset you, or keep you “humble”, or foil your good intentions or plan, then they are certainly dealing with some major stuff of their own. And you can’t fix it.
So, next time that “mean one” comes at you, just take a deep breath. Then remember to sit back, relax and keep all hands and arms inside the car while traveling. Life is a bit of a ride anyway, to be sure, so let’s simply agree together to not let any of these Les Miserables throw us from the train! K?
Just my thoughts.
S.
Prov. 26:27 If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.
