Last Saturday, a 9-year-old boy took his own life.

Yes, you read that right, a 9-year-old found it necessary to end his very short life. What is difficult to grasp is how such a young child contained so much emotional distress that he was able to make this horrifying decision.

Jackson Grubb chose to end his life to avoid being bullied anymore. According to his grandmother, he used to stand up and fight back at his bullies, but in the weeks approaching his death, she no longer saw that drive in him to fight back. Although authorities are not releasing a cause of death, it is evident that it was self-inflicted.

This story brings focus to two things, the first being the severity of childhood bullying and its blatant effects and second, the importance of noticing warning signs of depression and anxiety. Although some schools provide training and lessons to help prevent bullying in schools, sometimes this just isn't enough. It is important to remember the impact that family and home situations has on personality and behavior and is not something that can be corrected in schools. If a child grows up without love and nurturing, then they will not have a natural inclination to treat others with goodwill and compassion.

It is possible that the children who continuously bullied Jackson were just as sad and insecure but chose to cope with it by bringing someone else down to make themselves feel more strong, powerful, and greater. It is noted that Jackson often stood up to his bullies, which shows that he had a natural instinct to stand up for himself, but he grew weary of this. He even built a clubhouse weeks prior to his death, acting as a makeshift hiding place to escape from the evils he was facing.

Although no one particular person is at fault, it is important to notice these signs early on and act on it. Teasing and other bully-like actions can often be overlooked, especially if no physical harm is caused. I argue that the emotional harm is as significant, if not more significant than any physical harm could ever be. Jackson wanted to mentally escape from everything he was experiencing, and even at the age of nine, he came to the conclusion that his only option was to kill himself. What is most unfortunate is that no one recognized the severity of his troubles and really never thought something like this would happen.

What is important to take away from all of this is that everyone has their vices, no matter how old, young, anything you are. Even the strongest people you have in your life could be having troubles similar to that of Jackson. Although most do not take it to the point of suicide, many people deal with strong emotional pain each and every day.

Talk to people. Ask them about their lives. Ask them about good and bad. Be a good friend, be a good neighbor, be a good acquaintance. Be kind, be generous, be mindful. You may be able to save a life.