Hey, you know what I was thinking about the other day? Bullying.
I got bullied pretty bad in 7th grade. It wasn't some "character-building" experience like people claim. It actually held me back for years.
Picture this: I'm just being me, trying hard in school, when suddenly this group of jocks starts targeting me. For what? Being the nerd teachers liked. That was my crime.
It got so bad I ended up standing in a circle of them one day, actually apologizing—and I didn't even know what for. I just wanted it to stop.
That changed me. I stopped trying so hard after that. I dimmed my light. Just did enough to stay under the radar.
What brought this all back was watching Pinoy Big Brother recently. This contestant, Mika Salamanca, got ranked lowest for "authenticity" because people were spreading opinions about her behind her back. She had no idea until she got hit with the aftermath.
That's actually the worst kind of bullying, you know? Not the obvious stuff. It's when someone builds a case against you without your knowledge. When the room suddenly turns cold and you don't know why.
It's everywhere now—cancel culture, call-outs, digital pile-ons. People don't even recognize it as bullying. They call it "sharing opinions." But when those opinions are meant to isolate someone? That's harm, plain and simple.
I can't bring myself to cancel anyone because, honestly, I know how flawed I am. It reminds me of that story about Jesus and the woman they wanted to stone. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Nobody threw one.
If you're being bullied right now, I want you to know: I believe in you. In your right to take space. In your capacity to grow.
What impressed me most about Mika was her grace. No cursing, no hateful response. Just dignity.
And if that's you—responding with dignity when others try to tear you down—I'm rooting for you. Even when it feels like the world's against you, at least one person is cheering you on.
Because you deserve that. You really do.