Bullying and The Golden Rule by karlee

Bullying and The Golden Rule by karlee - June 2022 Scholarship Essay

Bullying and The Golden Rule
I read a novel titled “Before I Fall,” the lesson that I learned from (Samantha - the main character) was to not judge a book by its cover. This means that you should not make fun of people and judge them by the way they look, or the clothes they wear. “I shiver, thinking how easy it is to be wrong about people-to see one tiny part of them and confuse it for the whole, to see the cause and think it's the effect or vice versa.” You never know what someone is going through. Also, this goes back to the golden rule “treat others the way that you want to be treated,” which I believe is very important. In this novel, Samantha bullied Juliet because her friends did, and she would not want to be known as the girl who was friends with a “psycho.” In the end, she realized that it was not acceptable for her to treat people that way, and just because her friends do something does not mean she had to do it. Samantha realizes that Juliet is a good person, “So many things become beautiful when you look.” It is not about the way the person looks on the outside, it is about how they are on the inside.
I also know from personal experience that growing up is tough especially when you are going from a teen to an adult. It can be easy to get caught up in difficult situations when you’re just trying to fit in with the “it crowd” of high school. Sometimes you have to take a step back, reevaluate your beliefs, and choose right from wrong.
In addition to these things, I learned that you need to cherish your loved ones which as we all know is true because we all have lost loved ones. You never know when a moment with someone could be your last. No matter how you’re feeling, treat the ones you love with all of the compassion you can give. Tell the people around you how much you love them, and you will never have anything to regret because sometimes you may not get a chance to say it again.
The novel mentions that you do not know whether you have 3,000 days or just one left on earth, how would you want to be remembered? Samantha realized that she does not want to be remembered as a bad person, so every day that she re-lives she changes one small thing to try to help the people in her life. This novel made me realize that the little things are not worth fretting over. I need to consider those around me and go out of my way to make someone smile. I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of others. I believe that when Samantha saved Juliet from committing suicide she wanted to help her and apologize for everything. “I want to help you,” said Sam. “I can't be fixed, do you understand?” said Juliet.
These things should make us as a society want to be better people and treat others the right way. We should want to be remembered as good people and people who made a difference in the world no matter big or small.