What collection of words or phrase comes to mind when you read the above title? For most people some variation of "do unto others as you would want done to you" comes to mind. No matter the method in which you were raised; in the church, in an atheist family, by a single mom, by a single dad, in a big family, in a small family, whatever the case may be, at some point that phrase has entered all of our lives. The hope is that it makes enough of an impact that we use that as the core for how we treat people in our day to day actions. Some days we fall short of that expectation. Not all days are easy and that's okay, but what about the people who do their best to negate that rule? The ones who make it their mission to make others miserable? Unfortunately, with the internet being such a massive part of our daily routine, it makes it incredibly easy to insult someone since they're a faceless user. They're someone behind a computer, not someone whose emotions you can see when hurtful words are spoken. Cyberbullying. It's a word that plagues the news, our social media feeds and many families. It is highly likely you, yes you reading this right now, have been affected by it as well.

I remember having my younger sisters talk about it and how much it hurts, to see someone slander your name without consequence. I remember thinking "man, kids these days need to have thicker skin." And then I remember reading the first article I'd ever come across of a young boy who committed suicide because he felt he couldn't escape the criticism and hate. It makes me fearful for my sisters, for my future children, for people around me. The more I researched, the more I fell into the rabbit hole that is the internet, an endless abyss of articles. The amount of links I got back was astounding, I found many pointed to a documentary titled 'Bully', which was absolutely, entirely heart wrenching. Most people who have seen this are left wondering "but how do I help?"

Well. Do unto others as you would want done to you. It begins with one person and though we don't feel strong as an individual, it was others who inspired me to not only live every day with the goal to be kind, but to also inspire others to do the same. One of my favorite Disney movies, Mulan, has a wonderful quote that encompasses this idea; "a single grain of rice can tip the scale."

So every day I do my best to try and be that grain, and you should too. The Emperor of China said so.