What would you do if one of your dearest and beloved friends updated his Facebook status and Twitter that he planned to jump off a bridge and end his own life?

Would you take it seriously or would you think of it as a dramatic act of attention seeking?

About a year ago, Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate video streamed Clementi kissing another man on the Internet where others could view it.

This tragic ending to Clemnti’s life is the end result of a cruel bullying attack by his roommate Dharum Ravi.

I don’t know about you, but if I woke up seeing via Facebook and Twitter that a friend of mine had taken his own life and had been found lifeless in the Hudson River, I’d probably vomit as shock took over my body.

Bullying remains and will always remain a part of childhood, adolescence, young adults and hell, even adults.

“Kids will be kids” seems like the most justifiable reason for bullying, but are there justifiable reasons for bullying people?

No.

But can we as a society stop bullying altogether? I really don’t think so.

I’ve been raised in a family that instills certain values in me, and (most) of those values present themselves in my personality.

Like all humans, I have flaws. I’ve snickered behind people’s backs and insulted people to their face probably making them feel like shit, but I was raised as a respectful child and I will hopefully evolve into a respectful adult.

I’m a strong believer of family values and that we become a product of our raising. If your parents taught you bullying and physical hurt was acceptable you will probably bully. If you were bullied or abused by your parents or someone else, you’re probably a bully.

In my own experiences with bullies, they have always had underlying issues that they projected onto others. In my opinion, bullies are cowards — cowards who don’t have the balls to face the people or person who transformed them into bullies from the get go.

There are other incidents of people committing suicide due to bullying, especially last year, but I bring Clementi’s case to the surface because I feel like most of you have either heard about his case or know a detailed timeline of it.

So if you’re reading this and you’re one of those coward bullies, think of how you’re victimizing someone just because you don’t agree with their lifestyle, if you don’t like their physical appearance or if you just think they’re weird.

Not only are you hurting them, but you’re also hurting their family and friends around them who endure their loved ones’ hurt as well and maybe even the loss of their loved ones life.

Just don’t bully. It’s as simple as that. Don’t be a jerk because no one likes a jerk.