Bully Fight Back
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

December 4, 2016, Israel

I can picture the living room, I can clearly remember the day when my dear dad of blessed memory said, "Son, you are going to have to learn to stand up for yourself and fight back".

Today that is truer than ever. Today we all face a greater enemy, in particular the young ones among us. Bullying has been elevated to a new level, not only face to face but also over the internet.

The results have been tragic, suicides.

We must be strong but how do we get to be strong. How can you be strong enough to read horrible things about yourself on the internet, written anonymously, and not be able to respond?

I knew such a man, horrible things were written about him on a daily basis. He would make a sweeping motion, as if he were sweeping dandruff off his suit jacket. Yes, those morons who write such things about us are no more significant that dandruff. But how do we get to be so strong.

We must know who we are, we must be able to take a blow and keep moving on. Just today an old student called me up, he wants to come back, he said he wants to get a hit a bit. He is suffering from a lack of confidence and he realizes the best way to deal with this is by being hit.

Does that sound strange? It is not.

I cannot explain it, but I don't have to. Get into a good fight, get hit, feel the pain and keep going. It will do wonders for you.

Step up to the plate and face your fears. Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate. Branch Ricky told him to expect the worst, the most vile racist slurs will be shouted at you, but you must remain silent and focus on the ball. Hank Greenberg, of an opposing team but we all good men are on the same time, pulled him aside and said, Jackie, I know a thing or two about racism, let me share it with you.

The Jew and the Black man stood up to the racism that they could never stop.

Yes, Gimme some shelter, give me shelter from the rain, from the pain, from the brutality. but we must be able to take it, to hear the abuse and brush it off. We must know where it is coming from and what it is worth, no more than dandruff.

We must be able to fight back, physically and emotionally, we must be able to take it and know where it is coming from. The Bullying has been going on for a long time and it is only getting worse. We must reassert who we are, we must stand up to the storm, thrive in the storm and say Hit me with your best shot you worthless coward, I have taken worse. Get knocked down and get up and declare that it is good to be alive. Stand up and let your voice be heart, I will not be knocked down.

We need to get hit in the face now and then, we need to watch Rocky again, do not be afraid to get knocked down, it will do you a world of good. Have someone shout at you that you are a loser, and stay in there fighting back. We will never get rid of bullies so we have to see them for what they are and see ourselves for what we are. Look into their faces and laugh out loud, and pack a good punch!

We must be our own shelter from the storm. And the storm never ends.

Learn to Stand up to bullying, we have been doing it for thousands of years.

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