Is hell other people? By Laetitia KOECHLIN

You are saying to yourself: “Yes, of course, my life is made hell by other people”. Bullying is a case in point… In France, bullying affects 12% of elementary school pupils and 10% of secondary school pupils. 22% of bullied teenagers don’t tell anybody about their bullying problems. Also, 45% of teenagers feel lonely...

In some cases, people are really bad and close-minded. Their “pleasure” is to make snide comments and to be very mean to others. But, being immoral or bad is not always voluntary. In some cases, a bully does not even realise that he is persecuting someone (though that doesn’t excuse his behaviour).

Some people are stand-offish or unpleasant because they lack social skills. Perhaps they’re very shy or they like to be alone; it surely would not take a lot for them to see that the world is more joyful than they think?

When you don’t know someone very well, you don’t know his real intentions towards you, but, when you get to know him or her better, you can then appreciate his or her qualities and look beyond his or her defects. Everyone is unique and we all understand things differently but that is what makes the world interesting. 

The one big problem in our society is that people are scared of the “other.” We know how to “talk” to someone behind the safety of a screen, but we have forgotten that talking directly to someone is much better. That is why there is more and more cyber harassment.

When you meet a new person, the first thing you give is your name, then your age, mention your hobbies and share part of your past. That way, you can know if you are going to enjoy spending time with them or not. Meeting new people is very interesting. You can learn things from them, and they can learn from you.

Friends can make you challenge yourself. They can help you to push your limits, to show your better side. You can do everything with your friends. You can laugh, cry, and talk to them. Your friends support you when you are feeling bad; they can listen to you and give you advice to help you feel better. The thing which is very good with your friends is that you can tell them everything and they won’t judge you. You can count on them. You can mess around with them.  The great thing is that when you are with your friends you do not have to be serious, you can be yourself.

People are not really mean, you just have to learn to get to know them and, maybe, you will even become friends. Having friends is a very good thing because they can help you, listen to you, cry with you and make you laugh. Obviously, there are always people you won’t like but it does not matter, since you already have the best friends in the world!