Where are those students who once bullied billionaire SpaceX founder, Elon Musk that he ended up being hospitalized while in school? Where are those students who attacked him and threw him down the stairs? Where are those bullies who adopted the methods of the thieves of Jericho mentioned by Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan that left their victim for dead? For they only left Elon Musk after he blacked out from their beating. Do they remember what they did to him back in the day? Do they regret their action? If they put every one of them in a room today, who is likely to have the last laugh?
How many bullied teenagers across the world today may derive some comfort and hope from the phenomenal story of Elon Musk? How many bullied teenagers may see him as a harbinger of hope? Surely, his story will help the bullied teenager anchor himself or herself firmly to the ground amidst the ferocious tides thrown by bullies. As one wave of bullying suddenly gives way to another wave, how many bullied teenagers may find relevant answers in his story?
For many teenagers, there is nothing more commonplace than bullying in their world. Why do victims of bullying become bullies themselves? And what do bullies really enjoy from seeing the pain and misery they inflict on others? These are not the only questions pressing for answers in the world of the bullied teenager. Some of these teenagers, marvel at the assumption that their complaints (whenever they have the courage to share their experiences) are labeled as exaggerated. Worse still is the fact that some of them are asked to get accustomed to, or accept the fact that they would be bullied whether they like it or not because of the notion of survival of the fittest.
Those that lightly esteem the experiences of the bullied teenager need to review their position and drop their cynicism for the sake of all that is fair and just. So that they don’t grieve and kick themselves tomorrow when they see those teenagers, they once bullied return tomorrow as different versions of Elon Musk.
As he turned 50years last week (June 28) this part of his story commended himself strongest to me because of several conversations I have had recently on the subject of bullying among teenagers. The abounding successes in his life, despite that blighted moment of bullying he experienced as a teenager, position him as a gift from Providence to every teenager.
