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College student hoping to expose people to thoughts and ideas they might not necessarily come across on a regular basis.

Breaking down walls...

I'm sure many of you have seen the video or heard the story about the overweight kid who was getting bullied and finally had enough. He took his defense into his own hands, and when a younger kid was punching him in the hallway, he picked up the younger kid and slammed him to the ground. Suffice it to say, it is unlikely that the younger kid, or anyone else for that matter, will be doing much bullying from now on. For that, I applaud the poor kid who was getting bullied. He finally said 'No.' He finally refused to be the victim. But one thing struck me about this story.

There was no one to support him. He had no friends to help him deal with the bullying.

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. --Walter Winchell

For this kid, and a million other kids who are bullied for no other reason than a cruel person's desire to get off on the power trip, the rest of the world had walked away. It was only a stranger, a girl who was not actually his friend, who stepped in to prevent it from escalating even further.

You see, friendship is a powerful thing. It's true, there are lone wolves out there. There are people who prefer the company of themselves to the company of others. And who are we to begrudge them that satisfaction?

But if we are honest with ourselves, were are social creatures. We tend to group together in most situations. We cling to each other like bits of space dust, drawn together by some mysterious force that tells us that being together is the right thing to do.

Friendship is an amazing facet of life that does so many things for us. How fragile is our existence with no base of support? How easily do we crumble when the world presses down on us? The presence of but one friend immediately eases the weight of our burdens. When we talk to our friends, tell them our fears, explain our difficulties, share our secrets, laugh with them, cry with them, dance with them, do something silly or stupid together that becomes the focal point of a long running in-joke, we enrich our souls. We build our lives on a foundation of love and truth that stands strong in the face of adversity.

So often, the phrase used to describe the important people in our lives is 'friends and family,' but for many of us, those two are one in the same. I've heard the story a number of times, of people who grew up feeling like they had two sets of parents because they spent so much time with their best friend. And while it's hard to know just how prevalent this is, I do know one thing.

It's REALLY hard to think of a downside to this scenario, and I have yet to do it. It is a path rife with enrichment, love, and fun for all involved.

While friendships can be supremely powerful bonds, we must remember one thing. As I said before, strong relationships are based on love and truth. Friendships that are full of lies and deceit will be razed to the ground by the slightest pressure.

Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.-- Unknown

How do you build and display a beautiful castle to the world? Do you build a wall around a piece of land and then expect someone to come and do all the work for you? To come and admire your really pretty yard? You need raw materials. You need someone to help you build. To give you advice on when you're doing something wrong. How far should I take this staircase? Where should I put this room in relation to that one? Does this spire make my butt look big?

To create something beautiful, you must first invite beauty in. You must first expose your heart to the world and say, "This is me. Tell me about you. I care."

It's a scary prospect, I know. There is an inherent vulnerability that so many of us are not comfortable with in that scenario. And so we put up those walls. We build those fences and then we expect people to come to us.

This, my friends, is the path to loneliness.

So often I hear the phrase:

To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.-- Brandi Snyder

It's probably the most popular quote I've heard that deals with friendship. But I have a problem with it. Even if it's true, sometimes it doesn't seem that way. For those kids out there who are bullied and driven to the edge, the world is an abyss. It doesn't have to be though. All it takes is a smile. I don't know how many times I've heard the story of someone on the edge of suicide who didn't do it because of a random act of kindness.

Be that person. Be the unselfish person who shares their heart and their kindness with those around you. Not only will you attract people to you who will want to be a part of the good things, but you may also unwittingly alter somebody's future in a way you never expected.

Good night, stay strong, love, and be loved. I'll see you soon.

---
One more new blog to share with you, if you're interested. It's a music blog that shares music from around the world. It's inspired by the now defunct music channel IMF: International Music Feed. I wanna explore the different genres, songs, and artists of the world's music scene and share them with you. It can be found at World Music Mix: globalsmash.blogspot.com

8 Responses so far.

  1. Patti D. says:

    Some people have it very rough.

  2. Alphabeta says:

    Good thought provoking stuff. I especially like the quote about putting up walls.

    Good idea for the music blog. Not so sure about Italian rap, but looking forward to what else you dig up.

  3. DocStout says:

    As long as people can make themselves feel stronger by victimizing the weaker, the cynic in me says this won't change.

  4. Azurikai says:

    your posts are really inspirational and give me a new perspective. followed.

  5. Doc, I'm inclined to agree. Which, unfortunately, will likely be forever.

    Azuri: Thanks!

  6. Unknown says:

    I feel lonely now, great post tough

  7. Hey I just started following! Your message needs alot of strength inorder to see the positives! How did you put the "Donate" button on your blog??

  8. Hi, Matt, thanks for following. You get the code from Paypal site.

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