26/05/2024
Money Day Greetings my leader. I trust you are bulldozing your way to the very pinnacle. You were born to get to the top.
I vividly remember growing up in the High density of Mbizo in the heart of the mining town called QueQue which has been since christened City of KweKwe in recent times. One of the most interesting memories l have is meeting a bully called Thomas. We used to call him Tomingo. The guy was such a thorn in the flesh. He was so feared in my part of the neighborhood. He was a tall towering guy and about my age only that l was short and stocky.
For the better part of my life l avoided the guy and hardly crossed his part . I was more reserved and more of a closed book during my early teens. He was the king of the ghetto who could get what he wanted when he wanted. I had heard of his reputation that he could destroy someone in a fight and like most of the guys believed it. However one day the bully confronted me and for no reason he insulted me. I timidly kept quiet hoping he would go away because l have ignored him. However he sensed my fear and went a gear up and slapped me. I staggered as if failing and in the process picked some dust . He tried to continue with the onslaught and l released some dust into his face. As he was trying to clean his eyes l hit him with all my strength and he fell to the ground. I sat on his chest pumping fists into his face. That was how l ended the reign of terror in my neighborhood. I became the new king and never fought another day. My reputation as the destroyer of Tomingo went ahead of me.
A bully by definition is a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate others whom he perceives to be weak and vulnerable. They target you for seasonal or regular abuse.
The strategy of the bully is almost predictable. A typical bully will start by shooting you down and diminishing your stature. When they belittle you you begin to feel smaller in their presence. This makes you an easy pick and a soft target because you will feel like an inadequate person hence a suitable victim. As a victim you become submissive to their aggression. They become a domineering aggressor. They make you feel lesser as they flex their muscles šŖ and seem to be very powerful and invincible. But the real reason the bully does what he does is so that you donāt realize that deep inside he feels inadequate and insecure. They feel empty and vulnerable.
However it gets interesting, as the bullies flex their muscles those around them start admiring them and patronizing them so that they become associates and avoid being bullied.
If youāre an observant person you will realize that there are no happy bullies. Most bullies are putting facades to hide their own fear and pain. They may show a lot of toughness but deep inside they are young babies crying for help. The only sad thing is that they go about it the wrong way.
The issue of bullies sadly does not end at school, we even have workplace bullies who feed on threats and unrelenting conveyor belts of intimidation.
Workplace bullying can happen to anyone . Anyone can bully or be bullied at the workplace. Workplace bullying is continued mistreatment taking place at work. It includes verbal criticism, malicious personal attacks, regular humiliation, belittling and possible isolation of a person.
Workplace bullying hurts employees wellness and damages productivity. It devalues a personās sense of self worth and affects your mental help. According to research at least 30% of the workforce has been bullied. Refuse to be a victim and avoid being an aggressor. Every time a bully stands in your face be steadfast and assertive. Bullies cannot stand assertive people. It does not matter how big they are. You see my leader, size does not matter . In the words of the Undisputed World Boxing Heavyweight Champion Oleksander Usyk , āSize does not matter, otherwise the elephant would be the king of the jungleā
Letās deal decisively with bullying whenever we encounter it lest our loved ones be defaced by that monster.
Jesus Christ remains the ultimate leader. Follow Him and many will follow you. Never neglect the poor and vulnerable under pressure from bullies. Rise and shine , your day is here.
Next Level is a reality.
Ted Msipa ( PhD)
