Unseen Scars:

The psychological effects of bullying, among other things

Mar W.

Among the multitude of tiny scabs and cuts we’ve garnered as children, we all have at least one or two invisible scars—flecked on our skin by the painful experience that is bullying.

Most people grow up and move on from the torture, but there are still people who hold it inside themselves—the pressure weighing down on them as time passes. There are even some who cannot handle the pressure, and resolve their problems by simply ending their lives.

Although, suicide isn’t the only trouble that bullying brings. There are some people who grow up to be insecure and have a low self-esteem. The pressure that bullying brings can deteriorate a person’s social skills—which could sometimes lead to depression. Bullying may as well be equivalent to a disease as it slowly eats you inside.

Millions of people over the world have been campaigning against bullying for a very long time now. But standing around in the heat of the sun, waving signs that read “No to bullying!” or making videos and petitions online cannot change the mind of bullies fully.

To destroy the high walls of bullying, it must be done little by little.

What causes this, anyway? Is it because bullying suddenly became a trend, or because it would make someone look “badass” or “cool”? Well, yes and no—there are a lot of people who do it because it was done once to them, or because they feel insecure about themselves—and most of the time, because they are afraid that this person may be something more than they are.

The bottom line is that bullying affects us all—victims and perpetrators. There is no other way out of the tunnel, that is—unless we all decide that enough is enough and we work not just to get rid of bullying, but also to help each other recover from the scars inflicted upon all of us.

Image source: http://www.nurturingparentsandteachers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/BullyingPhoto-5.jpg

While solar panels or windmills offer good options for future energy requirements, they have some drawbacks in the sense that they do not provide a stable and continuous supply of power whether at homes, offices or factories.  The solar or wind energy must be stored in a battery device that will keep everything operative or alighted on a continuous basis for a long period of time. The battery must be stable and powerful as well as it should occupy small space to meet an uninterrupted demand for energy.

The Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics in Liaoning Province, China has reportedly developed a lead-carbon battery for storing renewable energy. Under the leadership of Professor Li Xianfeng and Professor Zhang Huamin of the institute, the research team has developed a battery system that is capable of providing a stable voltage. With cent-percent recharge rate, the battery is safe in performance. To protect their intellectual property, the institute has applied for 10 national patents for this device.

The advantage with this battery system is that a fully-charged battery can keep a streetlight operative for over 23 hours at a stretch. Using this battery system, forty-six streetlights are already in operations harnessing solar energy through a solar panel. The institute wants to make more installations of similar kinds to test the battery system in different operating conditions.

Drug using is on the rise in college campuses and the intensity of these is affecting many students badly and it is still an unaddressed problem. Going away from home for the first time, students always misuse they freedom they get from being away from parents and home. They often take this new found freedom far and indulge in partying, drinking and having illegal drugs. The most commonly abused substances in college are alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, a few prescription medication, and over the counter drugs. It is said that alcohol is the most abused substance among students. Being relatively inexpensive compared to the other drugs, teenagers get into the habit to relax, to have fun, peer pressure, as a stress buster, to become less inhibited, and to reduce their anxiety and depression. The usage of prescription medication is also on the high as they are easy to access and these medications if used beyond the prescribed limit are proven to be dangerous. The internet also lures them into drug usage as there are many sites that encourage them to try drugs. Drug overdoses are lethal and causes death. Many deaths occur due to drug overdoses and the drug problem in campuses is still growing.

It’s easy to find a change in students who are addicted to drugs. There will be warning signs like poor academic performance, skipping classes, weight reduction, agitation, forgetfulness, lack of motivation, and many more which show that they need help. How do we tackle this problem? Colleges have to have relevant policies relating to use of alcohol and other drugs. They should ban smoking on the campus, provide recreational activities that are substance-free, educate them and the staff on the hazards caused by substance abuse, and include topics about addiction and substance abuse so the students are aware. They also need to provide proper assistance to those who are already on drugs.

Parents can also be cooperative by telling the college to inform them if they find anything suspicious. Parents also have to keep the communication lines open, stop putting pressures on them to perform academically, tell them about the problems of substance abuse, and tell them about the importance of healthy behavior in college.  The most important part in preventing this is to educate them about misuse and abuse.

Zhang Zhe Yan

Winter Valley (2015 Korea)

by

K. Song