Bullying has always been around and there will always be people who thrive on the hurt they cause to others. ~ Trisha Paytas

Rev Kane’s Wild Ride: Don’t Punch Down

One of the things I did prior to going into surgery was to leave some goodbye notes to people in my life including some notes of life advice for my nieces and nephews. There was a wide range of advice, most of it about being confident, strong and kind. There was one piece of advice that I wanted to write about tonight.

One piece of advice I left, that seems particular relevant these days, was don’t ever punch down. It’s a simple idea and can also be expressed as not kicking people who are below you. Punching down when you’re a kid often means picking on the small kids, the disabled kids, the different kids. Most of us at one time have fallen into the category of target. What I expressed in the note was that it’s important to only punch up. Save your efforts, your arguments, even your violence for those with more than you, not less. Punching up means speaking truth to power, not being afraid to question authority, particularly when it is coming down on those in society who have the least amount of power.

To me, the measure of a human is their willingness to defend those with less power and privilege than they have. Avoid following the crowd and piling on, and especially, protect those in your family who have the least options and power, because they need you the most.

So don’t punch down my friends and help others have a happy day. ~ Rev Kane