Last week, I joined hundreds of local students to hear Tad Milmine share his anti-bullying message.
When I was speaking with Bonnyville RCMP Cst. Megan Letang about what she hoped attendees took away from the presentation, she had a very straight forward answer that really stuck with me.
She told me she wanted everyone to remember to be kind to one another.
It’s a simple message that can have a powerful impact.
When I learned that Milmine’s local stop was part of his Kindness World Tour, I wasn’t surprised by Letang’s statement. His message was a powerful one that I’m glad to have heard, and I hope that it resonated with the students in the audience.
Bullying is a traumatic event, and it’s an unfortunate reality for many of us. We become the target of someone who’s decided to hurt us, either mentally, physically, or emotionally. It’s isolating and difficult to share because we don’t know if anyone is going to understand.
My own experiences are why I have a sign up on my desk that says ‘Be kind. Everyone is fighting in a fight club you know nothing about, because we don’t talk about Fight Club.’
It’s difficult to open up to strangers to share your struggles and intimate details of your own story. You don’t know what’s too much, or when you’ve crossed the invisible line that could completely change the way someone sees you.
It’s people like Milmine who make it possible for people to come forward and take that first step toward getting help.
If I had attended his presentation when I was younger and struggling, I might have realized I wasn’t as alone as I thought I was. I wouldn’t have hurt myself the way that I did for so long, and I could have started my healing journey years sooner.
Another part of Milmine’s story that resonated with me was when he realized no one was going to save him until he took the first step himself. He became his own hero and started down the path that would lead him to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer.
That struck a chord with me because I’ve said numerous times that I became my own superhero when I was young. I pulled myself out of the hole I had entered, and so did he.
It’s why I encourage everyone to be kind to one another, because we have no idea the battle going on that we can’t see.
