LA - 18/1/11

Have you ever been part of a group of people who were unkind to one or some individuals? What was the circumstance? How did you act? What did you feel?


Yes, I have. I have been in this kind of situation many times before, and I have found that usually, it is simply because the other individual was different, or he reacts and deals with situations differently. For example, when I was in primary school, there was a boy who participated very actively in class, and did very well in school work, but did not seem to share our interests, such as playing games and sports. When we would run around the school during recess, he would be quietly sitting down reading. This caused him to be seen as square and anti-social. Many of my classmates made fun of him by playing pranks on him such as hiding his school books outside the class, and stealing his food during break.

Looking back, I realise that we should not have picked on him just because he was different, just because his priorities at the time were different from us. I feel that when we meet people who are different, we should try to get to know them better better, before trying to judge them or form preconceptions about them.