Happy New Year everyone!!
Now… What you are about to read may be part psychological and part personal. This is not about having to live in the past ,feeling sorry, dwelling in negatives.Far from it.It is a journey of self discovery,growth, self reliance;building and most importantly;Hope. When you have that ,nothing else matters.
“Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose”
Bullying is most definitely not just confined to children,adults deal with that too sometimes. Having said that , it is truly becoming more and more prevalent especially in this digital age we live in amongst the young and school aged.
By definition, I myself was bullied in school starting at age 7. Tiny,under height and underweight .I was called names and made fun off at first due to size and height. Teachers made sure all the other kids were aware of my tiny size constantly "Mazura you are the shortest in class stand in front of the line “ or “ you are short .. you have to take the front desk” " That would seem "harmless" but it was the beginning of negative self perception.. Name calling came "Shorty" "strawberry shortcake " "si pendek" and made fun of. At home it was always the reference to my height or size in comparison to that of my younger sibling as if not to understand that we were both two different individuals tho we share parents and nature is as it is.
Then the "tease" in school got to throwing and hiding bag in the forest near the school as the school bus is about to leave. I did not even know where to begin. I remembered crying and begging her to just hand me back my school bag and the girl who was much bigger and taller than me. I remembered her laughing to my face,sadistically happy, real joy in taunting. I went home without the school bag I hid as the school bus “uncle” told my parents later that evening when they got back home and of course “it became an issue” .The principle tells my parents that that girl was innocent and it was my “carelessness”. They didn't punish me or got upset but they just did not know what to do or even how to respond.
Or that time when I was threatened "I will bring that baseball bat and hit you if you don't give me that 30 cents lunch money (mind you of course that amount was huge back in 1977/78 Malaysia) or "do my homework or I will smack you ". That time I did feel tinge of humiliation that my 7 year old sister called that 11 year old girl and yelled at her.
Many other incidences all before age 12. The feeling was of deep alienation and isolation. I am not even going to get to the teenage years which for that was simply awful because I was literally and figuratively told and felt that I was not worth anything. Thanks to the bullying that came in different shapes and forms.
Here comes the saving grace in spite of it all; the arts. For me it was auditioning at the age of 9 for the school choir and the weekly music/singing class with Mr.Khoo . He taught me music all the way thru my final year in high school. It was that pocket of light made me joyful, happy,confident and somehow found my soul ,spirit and courage. Music and the arts kept me going as a child,the teenager and made me to the adult that I am today.
This brings me to CreaTee. Createe as a brand believes how beneficial and special the arts are. It is important to the development of character,personality and confidence and esteem That is why CreaTee will be involved in anti bullying campaigns to help kids in schools that are going thru this nationwide develop better self worth.
It is psychologically and socially studied and proven that the arts nourishes the,soul,feeds the spirit builds confidence that you know and find your own self worth,understanding because in that moment of peace but "creativity chaos" voice of your “artsy expression” is talking. Know with certainty that everything will be alright, you live thru it, you grow and you learn from it, you hear your own voice and surprisingly you will find gratitude in in just by the virtue of strength you learn and gain from that life experience.
That is how 2016 will start for CreaTee. Together we will say NO to bullying and also know, to those affected, it will all be alright. Onward and upward.