Many saw the video that went viral about the young boy, a Tae Kwon Do jin kicking and punching a more taller boy than him because he refused to be disgraced by the bully. He was asked to make a choice, either to be beaten or to keep his dignity and honor intact! Because the bully wanted the victim to kneel down in front of him, kiss his shoes and his balls.
This is akin to the Temptation of Jesus Christ, wherein Satan asked Jesus to worship him and in return he will have all the things in the the world to Jesus but Christ refused and rebuked the King of Darkness.
Human as we are, the initial inevitable reaction is to get angry, retaliate for the victim and shame the bully. This is perhaps the instantaneous reaction of everyone after watching the video.
But let us ask ourselves, does sharing the video would help either party, the victim and the bully? Not at all.
Some are very fast to condemn the school, Ateneo De Manila Junior High School without understanding that bullying is not exclusive to Ateneo but also in other schools, private or public. Bullying is a social problem deeply rooted in the family and society which is primarily influenced by individual’s experience that ought to be addressed lest more victims will fall into the prey of the perpetrators.
There are three things we can learn from this.
First, the parents ought to assess why their child turned into bully despite the fact that martial arts teach respect and discipline to name a few. Is bullying came into being because of poor or displaced parenting? Most likely so.
The second important lesson is the NVA (Non Violent Reaction) and Prudence. This was exercised fully by the victim. Yes he was ready to fight, but he chose not to fight, because he chose dignity and honor. Kudos to the parents and siblings of the victim. He was raised well and this is very palpable how he dealt with the situation.
Last but not the least, schools have become venues for bullying, and the school administrators ought to realize and understand the very essence of “in loco parentis”.
In this case, the Ateneo Junior High School principal ought to know that he, the teachers and most of all the school is the second parent of their students. What is so disappointing is the fact that less than a year ago, the mother of a victim of bullying in Ateneo Junior High School sought the help of The Philippine Business and News regarding her son who was bullied and mauled by a son of politician that led to fractured nose, physical and mental injuries and hospitalization of the victim. Never mind the money. But the trauma and mental anguish are beyond compensation.
It is interesting to note that the mother is even an alumna of Ateneo De Manila University. And she felt so devastated that there was no help or moral support from the school administration on what happened to his son. On the contrary, they were blaming his son, a timid and very polite boy for what happened despite witnesses’ account. Sadly, all the witnesses who saw what transpired backed out.
The principal, Jose Antonio Salvador who apparently forgot his adverb of degree and treated the talk of the town bullying that also became an international issue as mere serious violation of disciplinary conduct. With all due respect to the venerable principal this is very serious. we should all wonder how he would treat the severity of the bullying if it happened to his own son, grandson, nephew, godson or even neighbor’s son, would still forget your adverb of degree? More than the (very) serious violation to the disciplinary conduct this constitute a criminal case.
Schools are supposed to protect their students and that’s why the school is called “Alma Mater” which mean to nourish these young children and become better people in the society who value respect, honor, dignity and righteousness. At home, bullying happens maybe because of what the children see. It is a form of displacement. Because children live what they learn, from both home and school.
Regardless of the school where bullying happens, BULLYING is not OK!
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