As I am writing this post, my mind drifts back to the school days when I was one of the few boys in the school who were constantly bullied and pushed around. Those were tough times. I was physically weak, though my mental ability was up to the standards. It was not easy coping with haters. In short, it was tyranny.
I say this because one day the bullies had crossed their limits. They pissed on me and made a fool of me in front of the whole class. That was the day I decided to fight back, not at a physical level but on a mental level. I decided to ignore them and go about with my work.
Though this didn’t stop them from getting at me, I was firm at my decision of not fighting back physically but being mentally strong and working harder at my studies.
Five years from the, when I was ready to join one of the best institutes in the country, those rowdies of my class were out of school and into the workforce. They were doing menial jobs as labors. They turned into drunkards and abused their life.
I am not saying that I am happy seeing them in that condition. I am just saying that they paid the price for their deeds.
I remember how these guys used to ride around in their father’s motorbikes and tease the other children in the village. I was one of their targets. They used to mock at my poverty.
As a child, I was not hurt by what they said. I was hurt only when they tied me up and hit me with their fists.
I am the editor of an online magazine now. I have tasted some success and I am proud of my accomplishments. However, there is just one thing that keeps me bothering. I keep asking myself if I should go to the village and visit those bullies of my childhood. I am not sure why I keep thinking about it. I guess there is something for me there. I guess I have something left to do.
There was only one way to find out. I had to visit my village.
As planned, I went to the village one Sunday. I took my RX100 with me. I had bought it when I came to the city. It was the same model that those school bullies used to ride. I got it on EMI. I used a bike loan EMI calculator to calculate the dates and the amount to be paid. I paid the installments on time because of the bike loan EMI calculator. I did a little finding about them. They were in the church that day. I made up my mind to meet these guys. I didn’t know what I would say to them. I just knew that I had to meet them. Only then I could be at peace.
After a long wait of three hours outside the village church, I saw these two guys among the crowd of people. The bullies. The guys who tormented me. There was some kind of unease within me after seeing them. This feeling was not from remembering the time I was bullied but it was from seeing them in really bad shape. They looked sick, both of them.
I immediately decided to turn back and get back to my place. I couldn’t see these guys in that condition. I didn’t like them. But, I didn’t hate them either. They were the ones because of whom I forced myself to study hard and become as successful as I am now. I couldn’t let them suffer.
So, I sent someone to take care of their needs and help them live a better life. It was a good feeling to forgive. I never felt better.