People do not realize just how much your words and actions can impact someone, not just at that moment but even for the rest of that person's life. Your tongue is a lethal weapon, it has the power to give life, but it also has the power to take it away. There are people who commit suicide every single day because they are bullied or constantly harassed. Bullying is not only shoving people, or kicking or physical contact. It can be name-calling, putting someone down, or criticizing them. Something you say may not seem extremely bad in your eyes, but it may be the last straw for that person that you say it to. It can be sending that text telling someone that you hate them. It can be calling someone fat, it can be using the word "retarded." I hate that word more than any other word that exists, because it is way over-used. People use it as another word to say that something is dumb, like something they don't like. Instead of saying "I don't like that." they say "That's so retarded." But you need to be careful saying that, because you don't know how the people around you who are hearing it are going to feel. For example, my little cousin has Down Syndrome, as well as my best friend's little brother. I have epilepsy, and a learning disability, which would be considered retarded to some people. My little brother has a speech impediment, and he gets called that a lot too. My best friend was born with a birth defect, and gets picked on every single day for it. The word retarded is just offensive. There's nothing that makes me more mad than a bully. I think a kid should be able to live their life without being judged or ridiculed for who they are. I think we should be able to walk down a hallway at school without being tripped, shoved to the floor, or having our books knocked out of our hands on purpose just to be laughed at like it's some kind of joke. I think I should be able to live my life without being told that I should have been burned at birth so that nobody else would have to deal with my medical conditions.