We all know the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. But have you ever thought about the way you treat others? I mean really thought about it? I’m sure at some point we’ve all treated someone poorly. Maybe you made a rude remark or maybe you told a joke that just went too far. Maybe you went as far as causing physical harm to someone. Whether we mean to or not, the way we treat people can have positive or seriously negative effects.

I read an article a while ago about an 11 year old boy named Tyler Wilson who was teased and even beaten to the point of breaking an arm. Why? Because he was a cheerleader. Can you believe that? He’s only 11 and already he has to deal with such a lack of acceptance. But even with a broken arm and all the teasing, Tyler said he is not giving up what he loves to do. Talk about dedication! I’m so glad he is able to brush off what others think of him like that.

Kathleen Edward is another young child who had to put up with harassment from someone else, except she was bullied by an adult woman in her 30’s! Kathleen is a dying 7 year old girl who is suffering from Huntington’s Disease. The woman, who had had issues with Kathleen’s family for a couple years prior, had posted a picture on Facebook of Kathleen with a skull and crossbones. She also posted a picture of Kathleen’s mother, who had died of the same disease the year before, in the arms of the Grim Reaper. I don’t understand how someone, especially an adult, could possibly do such a thing to a little girl. I’ve heard of cyberbullying among peers, but not between a 33 year old woman and a 7 year old girl. Fortunately, people around the world are showing their support for this little girl, and a toy store has raised a large amount of money to provide a shopping spree just for Kathleen.

Both Tyler and Kathleen have been able to overcome adversities resulting in feel-good stories, but there are many other stories with more serious consequences. You might have heard about Phoebe Prince, 15, who, after months of harassment from other teens at a Massachusets high school, hung herself in January. Even more recently, Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, 18, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate used a webcam to capture him in their room with another male student and posted it live online. In Ohio, Mentor High School reported four students’ deaths between 2006 and 2008, three of those deaths were suicides and one was an overdose of antidepressants, all over the course of just two years.

To think people can treat others badly enough to cause someone to end his or her life is just sickening and sad. According to bullyingstatistics.org, people who are bullied are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than those who are not bullied. And even for the less severe cases, treating someone badly can still have a lasting effect on that person. It can lower their self-esteem, cause depression, and so much more.

As I go to school every day, I see people being treated badly all the time. Though those people can go about the day with a smile on their faces, look beneath the surface and you may have someone who is hurting. You may not know it, but you’ve probably already been placed in a situation where you had the opportunity to turn that person’s life around by one nice, simple gesture. So why not seize that opportunity? Instead of being mean to someone, let’s just open up and be friendly. You’d be surprised by what the power of just one smile has!