A few days ago (October 10th), I released a video for a song called Pursuit. It’s an anti-bullying music video meant to encourage those being bullied and remind them of a few things:

  • You are not alone. Many people, including myself, have been through that kind of crap. It does not have to end you and you can make it through it.
  • Do not allow these people to beat you. You are tougher than you imagine and you will rise again.
  • No more backing down.

Bullying happens to people of all ages, but it is incredibly heavy when it comes to children. Young kids and teens face some of the worst bullying every day and often find themselves lost in the pain it causes. They think no one will understand, that no one believes in them and that they are powerless to make it through. The video and song are meant to counter those thoughts.

And YouTube has age-restricted it. YouTube doesn’t want kids to hear this message. They don’t want you to understand that you have more strength than you know, and that you can fight back against those who are hurting you.

The video is posted to Rumble, where it is not restricted. No need to log in or create an account. You can watch it here.

For those who are bullied

Being bullied sucks. I know. It happened to me across several grade levels and even in parts of my adult life.

The goal of bullying is to make you feel bad, hate yourself, and feel inferior to the one attacking you. In some cases, the bully will both physically and mentally hurt you. They want you to feel like there is nowhere to go and that you can’t do anything about it. But as usual, they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Over the course of my life, I’ve grown to stop giving much of a crap about what these people have to say. I don’t put up with them anymore and you don’t have to either. I know that you may feel hopeless and powerless and that the attacks will never stop. You are wrong, and that’s a good thing.

What I want you to understand is that nothing is forever. Except honey. For some reason that never expires.

But the bullying you face will expire. Like other painful moments in your life, you will find a way through it and it will eventually become a distant memory. Most of the nonsense I went through I barely remember anymore. And these days, I’m a different person than I was back then. It’s helped me to understand that I’m not what I thought I was. The way it felt back then, I just knew that things would never get better and people would always hate me.

But now, things have gotten much better. And I don’t really care if people hate me. As I’ve said many times, I don’t need their approval. And neither do you.

And you don’t have to let them hurt you–and you shouldn’t. This doesn’t mean to do something extreme, so don’t take it that way at all. That just turns you into the monster, which you aren’t, so don’t do that.

I come from an era that is different than the one we see today. These days, fighting back and defending yourself is somehow seen as a bad thing. But when I was a kid, if someone was physically bullying you, no one got mad if you knocked them on their ass. If someone’s physically assaulting you, defending yourself is necessary. And it can be a great eye-opening moment for those who think you’re just weak and won’t hit back.

And it’s always worth remembering that what happens now is not forever. You will not be stuck in this place in your life always. Eventually, the dark clouds will go away. You can weather this storm and make it to the other side, and when you do, you will be much happier.

For now, try getting the sadness and frustration out. Personally, I find that writing helps. It’s how I started making music. And yes, I sucked at it back then. So don’t worry if you’re not the best writer or singer or rapper or whatever. Use the pain as fuel, and turn it into an art, even if no one else ever sees it. The point is to help yourself by letting the emotional tornado inside you come out through words, singing, dancing, drawing, or whatever.

Need help with it? Check out this section of the site. It provides additional resources that might help you out. And remember:

This is your life, not theirs. Do not let them take it from you.