Boyish Boundaries

Of course what we have a right to expect of the American boy is that he shall turn out to be a good American man. Now, the chances are strong that he won't be much of a man unless he is a good deal of a boy. He must not be a coward or a weakling, a bully, a shirk, or a prig. He must work hard and play hard. He must be clean-minded and clean-lived, and able to hold his own under all circumstances and against all comers. It is only on these conditions that he will grow into the kind of American man of whom America can be really proud.

--Theodore Roosevelt

There is much talk these days about bullies and their supposed detrimental effect on the psyche into adulthood. It is a problem today, granted, but it is certainly not as if the problem is new. In fact, it has existed for time immemorial. I have always been relatively thin and small in stature, although, I pefer the term "medium-built." As a result, I was subject to some bullying as a child. I would take quite a bit of verbal abuse, but when it came to physical contact, there was no compromise. In years past, many bullies have felt the imprint of my knuckles upon their unexpecting cheeks and modestly spilled their blood as a result of my natural inclination toward self defense. Admittedly, I did not win every fight in which I engaged as a child, but I can fairly say that I never had to repeat one. One of my children recently had the unfortunate experience of being bullied. He asked what he should do if a bully called him names. I said he should ignore him. He then asked what he should do if a bully hits him. Through my mind flashed the faces of the forgotten bullies of forgotten days, the schoolyard confrontations, the satisfaction of a good throwing of the hands and the closure that it brings. I smiled with a boyish grin and said "Hit him back."

Honor, Liberty, Truth!