Photo by Gabriella Fabbri

Cyber-bullying was a non-existent term just a few short years ago.  We are now fully aware that not only does this term exist, but also it is having devastating consequences on people throughout the world…especially our children. The suicide of a 10-year-old girl was reported on the news just this past Friday. It was stated that the reason behind the suicide was three years of being bullied by her classmates and especially the cyber-bullying that had taking place in recent months.

I’m fairly certain that children picking on and bullying each other has been occurring for thousands of years.  I do not know of one person who has not been the victim of mean behavior at some point in time during their childhood, either at school or during some after school activity.  However, something is different today.  Cyber-bullying seems to penetrate deeper into our psyche more than the character attacks of the past.  Allow me to offer my amateur explanation for at least one reason why this may be the case.

A close friend of mine recently told me that people say things in a text message or email that they would not necessarily say face to face.  As I contemplated that statement, I began to realize how powerful e-mails and texting can be.  I wrote a blog back in October of this year about the tongue and how damaging it can be to others if we do not think before we speak.  The written word is just an extension of that fact. 

Now combine the “say whatever you want” attitude over the internet with the group mentality that can be generated in all of us, plus the immaturity of childhood and we have an explosive time bomb on our hands.  Worse yet, I do not see a solution coming down the road any time soon.  So may I offer this unsolicited piece of advice to myself as well as to the rest of the world?  Parents, train-up your children in the way they should go.  If not us…who?