How to Save a Life | Teen Ink

How to Save a Life

July 9, 2012
By Jessica29 BRONZE, Pecatonica, Illinois
Jessica29 BRONZE, Pecatonica, Illinois
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I write for the same reason I breathe; if I didn't, I would die."


People judge others without knowing the other person’s life. People, without realizing what they are doing, judge others by what they look like, what they wear, what they eat, what they say, and what they do and others watch and do nothing about the judging/ bullying. What if, if you judged a person aloud and they heard, he or she decides to go home and wallow in self-pity or decides to do something rash? Many people don’t think about the person they judge or pick on, no, for some reason, people do not care what happens after they pick on or judge a person and they leave, while other people pretend they don’t see anything and they don’t try to stop the judging or bullying because they don’t want to get involved. Every action has a consequence, but most people don’t think about what happens in the long run; they live in the present.
Let’s say that you are a bystander and are watching a girl get picked on by three girls who are popular. This girl who is getting picked on is petite, small, emo, has piercings, and has multi-colored hair. The popular girls are annoyed by her for some reason and decide to pick on her for the h*ll of it. The girl cries and runs away after insult upon insult upon insult and the popular girls laugh and walk away. You watch the girl run out of the school and down the road, to where you think is her home. You do nothing and think she will be fine because everyone gets picked on at least once in high school and they get over it, right? Wrong.
The next morning at school, you walk into class and everyone is talking about a girl whom committed suicide last night. No one knows why she did it, but they know it was because she took too many sleeping pills because she was depressed. Her parents talk at an assembly later in the day and talk about bullying and how their daughter complained about it and became depressed. You, the bystander the day before, think about how if you had stopped the popular girls and talked to the depressed girl, that you could have saved her life and saved the sadness brought to the family of the girl. The outcome could have been different if you had done something.
Now, let’s say you see the popular girls picking on the girl and you go up to them and tell the popular girls to get a f****** life and leave the girl alone. You ask the girl if you want to be friends and she accepts and thanks you for helping. The next day at school, you walk into class and sit next to the girl who was bullied yesterday and you talk to her and she talks back, as friends. You saved a life without realizing it.
People are judged every day and most people will do nothing to get involved, but there are a few, a few who will do the right thing and stand up for the person being picked on. Those who help people in need, without knowing, might have saved a person from committing suicide. Everyone can help someone in need, they just need to stand up and do it. Can you save a life? Yes. Will you save a life? Hopefully, because now, you know how to save a life.


The author's comments:
Wrote this after hearing about a suicide on the news.

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