I recently read an article about a 15-year-old girl in Massachusetts (originally from Ireland, so she had what I could imagine a beautiful accent) who had committed suicide. They are saying it was because of excessive bullying through face to face confrontations, text messages, and facebook messages. She was continually harassed. She left behind three sisters and a brother. The thing that really struck me is what her parents said. The article author states, "The family moved to Western Massachusetts last year, in part, 'so that Pheobe could experience America,' they wrote in the death notice stated" (Kathy McCabe, Globe Newspaper Company). The most frustrating thing about that is that she came with hopes and expectations of experiencing what America has to offer...and all she got was horrible relationships with people who weren't accepting of her. Is this what America's newest and brightest are becoming in this world? Teenagers are acting as if this is normal and that downgrading people is the way it should be. Are you kidding me? I don't mean to get angry, but it is mind-boggling to me. My problem is how did it get this way?
It is interesting that not much has changed since I was in high school except the method. High school was horrible for me, but people never harassed me like that. Yeah, I wasn't the most liked of people, there were groups and tiers and I generally fit none of them. I can look back and find that a rather accomplishing feat, but my outlook has changed since then. And if I can think back to what middle school was like, I can remember it being worse than high school was. Being a teenager is the most excrutiating time of our lives, whether we don't fit in or we strive so hard, practically torturing ourselves for some useless position. That position which comes to a halt once you graduate from high school. It amazes me to look back on that and think of all the striving it took to go absolutely nowhere and how our own strivings affected those around us. It some sick game that culture uses and manipulates. Although culture is inevitable and sometimes can be used for benefits (very rarely), it almost seems like a greater evil than we'd like to admit. We don't like to call something evil because it seems to be going overboard...but in light of situations like this, is it really too much? It just doesn't seem that complicated.
I wish I knew the preventative measures to take for this. How do you stop such a beast? It is going to have to take God's hand working in the hearts of so many students and the necessary courage of many to step out and take a stance against this. I pray someday that churches will build up student ministries where God is given the freedom to move in the hearts of students, giving them unparalleled courage to stand up to this, to be different, to be caring and loving even in the face of bullying. It can be done, are we willing? And parents need to be more aware of their students actions (I am sure they play a big part in why students justify doing it), and these situations at school. Parents have the blessed ability to be able to either help or hinder the welfare of their children, whether they believe it or not.
Not to mention, this is occured in New England, in Massachusetts. These are "my people," this is the culture I am so keenly accustomed to. I can see where and why it happened, but it doesn't mean that it acceptable. New England has its own breed of people, and they are in such a great need of love and care that they have not seen before. We seem to have forgotten these people just because they are in the United States, but on any map that shows the evangelical influence, we see that the Northeast as a whole is the largest area of the least reached. It is reached by other things, that is for sure, but the influence of Christ is barely seen. He's there, for sure, but He is waiting for people to be courageous enough to reach such a people...I am so thankful people listened to Him or I would not be able to sit here and write this.
This is probably the most scattered and random of all my blogs, but this has been burning in my heart since I read this article. Opinions expressed are welcome.
Also, please pray for New England. I have a hard time being at home, but it is really an incredible place, and the people are in such need of Jesus and the hope He gives. The more I understand this, the more my heart aches for it. I was in the shoes of a lot of girls that are there now, once.
