The UK has Boris Johnson, who is a school playground bully; the US has Donald Trump, who is a Big Mac bully; little North Korea even has one, as does Canada should Twitter be believed.
But there is one who stands tall amongst those men, one who has added immorality, inhumanity and isolation to his character CV, step forward Lard of all Bullies – the putin bully.
Why do we put up with bullies? It’s a conundrum I have wrestled with all of my life. At school I had many a conversation with a bully. I was punched in the face by one - fact.
At work I was abused by a bully who was fuelled in his ‘bullism’ by alcohol. He was a nasty, shitty little man, who not only abused me mentally and physically but also beat his beautiful girlfriend. I don’t know where he is, and frankly I don’t care. I do hope that he has stopped this ridiculous idea that being nasty gets results. Just like the putin bully needs to do.
You will be surprised to know that the origin of bully is a term of endearment, from the Dutch, Boele, meaning lover. It then became a term for a friendly male; it’s current use dates from the 17th Century, and originates from swaggering coward.
More recently it has been used as an abusive term because these swaggering cowards become violent in their behaviour when they don’t get what they want. Like naughty children who have been too spoiled by parents.
We could sit here and argue about the psychology of it; and that these poor swaggering cowards probably had poor swaggering cowards for fathers and a tough upbringing. Bullshit.
Bullies have no morals, no responsibility for their behaviour and they look at others with contempt. I say this behaviour has to stop, and humanity coming together is a wonderful backlash to such a selfish and disgraceful idea of life.
There, we’ve given bullies a platform, now let’s give peace and love a platform.
Because it is that which is pushing the putin Bully back in Ukraine at the moment. We don’t fight fire with fire, we fight fire with water. We dampen this evil ideology until it becomes sodden to the point of over-saturation and it disappears into a vast vat of nothingness.
What has been so uplifting and remarkable recently is seeing the people of the world come together, a unity with one goal – PEACE. Humanity is a wonderful thing, when we get it right.
Currently we are getting it right despite attempts to divide humanity with fake news and hatred. It would appear not to have worked. Finally, news reporters are seeing the same as the people on the streets. Finally love and peace are getting attention instead of anger and hate. It is love and peace which will defeat the putin bully and unite the world even more.
Peace and love are key for the emotional wellbeing of our future. We should not be fuelled by hate, by need, or want; instead, be fuelled by passion, peace and happiness.
We share one world, which hangs precariously in a vast airless void. Life is precious, and yet for some it seems expendable. Each life that is born on this planet has a right to it, to live, to smile and to create a life worth living. This is what we should be striving for – opportunities for all; peace; kindness and joy.
We have gone backwards as a society, which means we need to change the cycle and do this stuff differently. We are emotional as a rule, that is how we are wired. When we are threatened we unite, historically this happens.
It is happening now. It is our emotional response to fear and violence. We come together as a family, a unit, a community and a world.
Charlie Chaplin delivered a beautiful speech in his 1941 film The Great Dictator, a film it would seem the putin bully has not seen. In wonderful prose he delivers a speech at a rally loosely based on the hitler bully’s nazi rallies. He says that “We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery.”
He goes on to talk about the current level of humanity and how it is shamed –
Because it is our united humanity which will come through. Each of us can step forward as a show of defiance and stand tall against the bullies of the world.
The person who bullied me at work was eventually sacked. He was caught, drunk, pushing me around in the auditorium of the theatre I worked at. His actions united the team against him; and my stage manager, suspecting something, ensured that I was being watched which is how he was caught in the act. He was marched off the premises, and never returned. No apology, although I expected none. He did try to excuse his way out of his behaviour, saying it was fun, a laugh, no-one was hurt. That’s the script they all take. Because bullies do hurt people, and it is a very long way from being fun. However, to hate him would be too easy. To forgive him would depend on his actions; and I never saw him again.
It is an awful, terrifying time for the world. But I truly believe in the power we have within and the power of love. We can all do our bit to support each other, and to turn these bullies minds towards a happier, prosperous and peaceful ideology. In this world everyone has a chance to be free. Let’s make it so.
You can view the full speech from The Great Dictator, by clicking this link to Chaplin's website.
Zac Thraves is an Inspirational Speaker, performer and mental health warrior who writes and creates using pop culture to raise our awareness of who we really are inside. It takes imagination to make your life successful. Create your reality, get real.
My book is called The Self-Harming Pacifist - a sequel is on the way, and a stage show.
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