Bullying seems to be a huge problem in our society today, for sociological and/or spiritual reasons that I do not claim to be able to pinpoint. I cannot really understand why some people like to abuse their power over others. However, the bully can be described.

The bully, as I describe him or her, is a person of any age with this attitude: “I am going to do something wrong to you, fully knowing that it is wrong, why? Simply because I have the power to do so.” There are quite a few permutations of this, like, “I am going to say something about you that is false, fully knowing that it is false, why? Simply because I can.” A bully chooses to abuse the power that he or she has over you. This power can be hierarchical in nature (the person is in a social position above you, in some way) or it can simply be assumed by an aggressive person who is your “social equal.” The first type is the worst because “fighting back” in such a case can carry a very heavy price, which is why so many choose to suffer silently rather than pay that price.

Bullies behave like soul-sucking vampires -- that is, they draw energy by preying on people who are happier and more positive about life than they are, seeking to make everyone else as miserable as they are. There is some serious bullying research going on in Europe, as you will find if you do a few Internet searches, but maybe we need an anti-bullying day in this country like Canada has. Bullying happens frequently in the corporate environment and in our families, as well as in our schools, but perhaps school administrators should be the ones to start a national anti-bullying day tradition, since schools are already way ahead of the other social sectors in these efforts.

Lisa M. Backus

Auburn