What is the Antidote to Bullying?

Recently, I heard a neighbor express her pain about her two adopted black daughters being bullied at their high school. It brought back memories of when one of my daughters was also being mistreated in a high school class. The students threw large, wet, spit-wads at my daughter which left inky splotches on her clothes and caught in her long hair. One time they even unfolded a paper clip and used the sharp end to tear the back of her blouse. 

As a parent, as a mother, it hurts deeply when someone hurts your child. You know the joy this child has brought to your life. You know how special she is, and you sense her amazing potential. You have seen her struggles, and her triumphs. How can you watch as people try to pressure her into accepting that she is worthless? 

Is my daughter black? No, but she is different, and that is all it takes to be bullied. You have to be identifiable. You can have a different color of skin, be

"Sophistication"

As I witness our culture becoming more and more "sophisticated", I am concerned about the increasingly simplistic and intolerant portrayal of those who do not conform to "modern morality".  Anyone who does not follow the contemporary mindset is viewed as callow and naive. For example, they consider those who believe in God as gullible beings who mindlessly follow some dogma. To substantiate this assertion, these "enlightened" souls give "evidence", such as, stating that all religious people believe the earth was created in only seven days.  Really!  Is this the assertion of wise, knowledgeable, experienced people? It sounds more like sophistry than sophistication to me!

Being Accepted

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/unity-in-diversity?cid=HP_FR-14-9-2018_dPAD_fMLIBxLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng
I just watched this video and was impressed that it dealt with some difficult topics. As a person who dances (I don't march) to the beat of a different drummer, I know that it is important to keep firmly in my mind who I really am -- a daughter of God.  If everyone else in the world does not accept, or approve of, who I am and how I do things, it doesn't matter. I am still a daughter of God. I have been given amazing gifts by my Heavenly Father. I have unbounded potential and tremendous worth.

Some people struggle with accepting people who are different from themselves. Though it is challenging to not feel rejected, we must see the situation for what it really is. It is not our difference that is the problem, but their lack of acceptance.